Forever Young
by sakume
Summary: Zelda needs to learn the attribute of patience, and now, when Link gets hit by an aging spell that makes him two years old, she'll get her chance in a whole new way...and what will happen when Link finds out he likes his Mommy in a strange way?LinkZelda
1. Hopes and Dreams

Hello everyone! This is a story about Zelda learning patience in a whole new way. It's going to take a little while for me to update as I am currently working on my phantom of the opera fic too. I'll try to balance the two!;)

"Forever Young"

Chapter 1 (Thoughts and dreams)

Link was bored. There had been no fighting, no disasters, and no disturbances for weeks. After all, he needed a little action in his life. He heard someone approaching his bed and turned.

It was Zelda, holding a picnic basket. "Well, Link? Aren't you ready? It's our picnic day!" she smiled. Link always enjoyed picnic days with Zelda. "What's wrong?" she asked, seeing his down expression.

He gave her a weak smile and sighed. "I'm a little bored." She pushed him playfully and motioned for him to follow her. He did so gloomily, as she led him to his front yard. She already had Epona ready and saddled for him. He felt his spirits lifting a little. He always enjoyed a little ride on Epona. Once they were in Hyrule field, he urged Epona on to a gallop; he was definitely in a better mood.

Zelda called to him, she was happy he was feeling better. "This looks like a good spot!" They halted and set up the picnic, eating and watching the clouds go by. Link turned to look at Zelda, she was beautiful. Her eyes looked like two deep crystal pools, and her hair flowed out behind her, shiny and smooth as silk. He liked her very much. There was just one thing wrong with her. She was not patient. She would not be good with kids. She hated little kids. She hated anything that made her wait. Link chuckled to himself thinking about the last experience when she had tried to be patient.

She was baking a cake for him, and instead of waiting the hour and a half like she was supposed too, she took it out early, and it tasted terrible. He didn't tell her of course, just fed it to the castle dogs when she wasn't looking. He laughed to himself.

Zelda just happened to be thinking about the same thing. Kids…yuck! She hated children. They were always sticky and whiny. Disgusting! There was no way she would ever have children. She hated waiting, too. Wasn't there anything that could be done right away?

Link sat up, his keen ears caught the sound of someone yelling. He squinted against the sun's glare, trying to make the shape out. A soldier from the castle was running towards him, waving his arms.

Link turned to Zelda and spoke. "Isn't that Hiro?" He motioned towards the shape running toward them.

Zelda shielded her eyes. "Why, I believe it is! I wonder what he wants?" she ran forward to meet him, Link following behind.

Hiro met them halfway, gasping and bleeding. Link immediately knew what to do, and started putting pressure on the wound and talking to the wounded soldier. "Hiro, what's wrong! What happened?" Link could only hope it meant some one needed his help so he could finally get some action.

Hiro choked out an answer. "Sorceress…powerful spells…help…king…" he fainted dead away.

Zelda screamed, and jumped onto her horse right away. "Come on Link! We have to go save daddy!" Link was already way ahead of her, and rode frantically for the castle, (with Hiro behind him, also on Epona), only to be stopped halfway there.

Just within sight of the drawbridge, a cackling voice reached their ears. "So this is the famous hero of time, eh? Seems like a mere child to me…"

Link was filled with fury; he hated to be called a child. "Show yourself!" he demanded. He heard a whistling, and a woman stepped out of the shadows. She was not ugly, but was actually very beautiful. She had long, black hair, and a flowing purple dress that billowed out behind her. She smiled as Link hesitated.

Zelda yelled at her. "What did you do to my father?" taking matters into her own hands, she shot a light arrow at the sorceress, who simply caught and discarded it.

She chuckled at the princess. "You are incredibly weak. I thought you might present more of a challenge to me."

Zelda was filled with hatred, and clenched her teeth. "Answer the question! What did you do to my father!"

The sorceress just chuckled. "I have done nothing to him…yet." She laughed and threw a magic blast at the princess, knocking her down.

Link ran in to give her a taste of the master sword, but was slammed into the ground. Zelda then knew she was on her own. She was positive she could take this sorceress, but she needed to pace herself and wait for her magic to charge. She was going to try to hit her with the newest spell she had learned, a spell that gave complete amnesia to the target. Unfortunately, you had to have perfect timing for it to work. She tried to concentrate.

"You will be doomed to live forever as what you are!" the mocking voice of the sorceress reached her ears. "A pathetic, weak, child!" Zelda lost her patience, and threw the spell with all her might.

At the same time, the sorceress had thrown her spell towards the princess. The two magic spells collided and changed directions, heading straight towards Link.

"Link, watch out!" Zelda screamed, but it was too late. Link tried to run, but was hit by both spells. A blinding light filled the field. Even the Gorons on Death Mountain and the Zoras at Lake Hyrule could see the wondrous flash.

Zelda was blinded, she blacked out, still being able to hear. She knew the sorceress was also worn, for she was gasping for breath. Wait…that wasn't gasping, it was…laughing! Zelda struggled to get up.

"Oh, this is just too good!" the sorceress laughed. "I'll leave you to your work, looks like you'll have it cut out for you now…" she started choking, and gasping.

Zelda woke up just in time to see her dissipate into thin air. "I wonder what she meant by that?" she thought, sitting up. She smiled a triumphant smile and with a gasp remembered Link. She turned, overjoyed. "We beat her Link! We…beat…" she stopped, her smile faded. Her heart started beating so loud she was afraid the world would hear it. There, lying unconscious in front of her, was Link.

At least, she thought it was Link. The green clothes, and the hat, everything was the same…except the Link she knew was seventeen…but the boy in front of her looked no more than two or three years old.

So, did you like it? I hope so! Anywho, I'll just wait for so many reviews, and post the next chapter!;)


	2. A Little Problem

Wow. I did not expect so many reviews on my first chapter! Thanks everyone! (Okay, so five might not seem like a lot to you, but to me, it does!) Hope you enjoy next chappie!;)

Chapter 2

(A little problem)

Zelda approached the frail figure with hesitance. She shook him slightly, whispering his name. He did not stir. She gasped, and leaned over to his chest, listening for a heartbeat. To her great relief, she heard a steady thumping and felt his labored breathing as she leaned over. He was alive, but he was unconscious.

She picked him up slowly, too afraid to ride back with him. He was incredibly light. She carried him with a heavy heart to the castle, where she knew she could find Impa. After laying Link down on a bed close by, she told her nursemaid all that had happened.

Impa leaned back and shut her eyes for a moment, thinking. "The spell that the sorceress flung at you must have been intended to make you a child, and as it hit Link, it had the effect on him."

Zelda gasped, and turned to look again at the figure in the bed. "But, Impa, when will it wear off? What if Link doesn't remember us?"

Impa shook her head. "I don't know when it will wear off, perhaps we should bring in someone who Link might remember…" she trailed off.

"And who might that be?" asked Zelda, teeming with curiosity.

Impa simply replied, "You'll find out."

A little while later, Zelda figured it out. A knock was heard on the door, and as she opened it, a green haired girl entered, panting from running. Zelda smiled at Impa's knowledge. If Link knew anyone, it was Saria. She watched the korkiri girl enter and gape in amazement.

"Link," She uttered, walking towards him as she placed a hand over her mouth in shock. "How old is he?" she asked, turning.

"I don't know." Zelda replied, "I'm guessing around two." She looked worried. Saria felt the back of her heart flutter at the sight of this young Hryulian. She had only felt this way once before, when he was delivered to her care after his mother died so many years ago. "He will remember me." She stated with confidence.

All in the room felt the rush of reassurance. They started talking about what to do, not noticing the two year old open his eyes. Zelda was the first to realize he was awake, and gave way to a little gasp. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and pointed this out to the others.

Saria reacted immediately, she slowly approached him. "Link..." she spoke slowly and clearly. "It's me, Sawia." Zelda looked at her questionably. "What?" she retorted. "It's was his name for me when he was younger." Impa watched the blonde boy's expressions as he looked from one of them to another. He groggily wiped his eyes, causing his hat to fall off, revealing a mess of knotted hair.

Saria smiled and reached for his hat. When she tried to put it back on his head, however, his expression changed to fear and he looked uncomfortable. She frowned a little. "Link, it's me." She peered closer into his eyes. "He doesn't remember me." She choked out.

"What do you mean!" Zelda exclaimed. "How can he not remember you? You were with him almost ever since he was born!"

Saria was on the verge of tears. "I don't know, all I know is he doesn't recognize me!"

Impa raised her voice a little. "I think I can explain." Zelda and Saria both turned their attention to her. "Zelda, what spell did you say you tried out on the sorceress?" she asked.

Zelda thought back. "The new amnesia spell you taught me…why?" she pursed her lips. Suddenly, it hit her. "No…" she looked at Impa, wide eyed.

Impa sighed. "Well, it's settled then, our hero of time is now a two-year old with amnesia."

Zelda fell back. "Wonderful. Absolutely peachy." She rubbed her forehead. She felt a headache coming on. "Saria, thanks for coming, but I think you should return to korkiri forest. We'll call you if anything comes up." She looked desperate to be alone for a while. Saria agreed, but only because she knew Link was safe and she would see him again soon.

After Saria had gone, Zelda felt as if her world was collapsing. Everything was going wrong. She quickly turned to Impa. "Please watch him for a while, I guess…I don't know." She turned away and ran to her special place.

Overlooking the garden, there was a rocking chair. Zelda loved that rocking chair. It had belonged to her mother a long time ago. She used to rock Zelda in it and let her snuggle when she was hurt.

Zelda approached the chair and cried as if her heart had broken. She sat down in it, hugging her knees, crying. "Link…I'm so sorry." She felt like everything she did was wrong. If only Link was here now…

Zelda jerked her head up; someone had entered her special place. "Go away!" she yelled, unwilling to talk. She heard footsteps approach her chair. She turned around, furious. "I said go away…" she stopped. There, standing beside her, was Link. He cocked his head, and grabbed her dress, pulling himself up into her lap. Zelda was stunned. Link nuzzled against her body, liking the warmth it provided.

Without knowing exactly what she was doing, Zelda hugged him close. She rocked him; the satisfying creaks of the chair soothed her temper. Impa watched from the door, her heart was touched. "Well," thought Zelda, watching the sun go down, "it can't get worse than this…" she closed her eyes.

But contrary to Zelda's beliefs, it was about to get worse. For at that moment, a single devastating word reached her ears, coming from Link before he drifted off into a much needed sleep. "Mommy…" Zelda froze.

Well, how was it? Review and let me know! I'll try to update soon!;) Bye! SK


	3. The Trouble with Two Year Olds

OMG! Fifteen reviews! This is turning out pretty good! Wow. Okay, I'm finished with the phantom of the opera fic, now I can work on my Zelda! Yay! Here you go!

Chapter 3

(The Trouble with two year olds)

Zelda was severely freaking out. Link thought she was his mommy. This was bad. "Impa!" she looked exasperatingly at her guardian. "What am I supposed to do?" they both took a moment to look at Link, sound asleep in Zelda's old bed, which she had as a child.

"Well, there's not much to do." Impa replied simply. "It would most likely be best to let him think you're his mother." She smiled. "I suppose you're going to have an early taste of motherhood, Zelda."

"But…" she stuttered, trying to think up an argument. "What about tomorrow? I'm going to be running errands all over town! I'm going to Malon's, to pick up some wildflowers, to the market, everywhere!" she paused for a moment, thinking. "Can two year olds talk?" she asked. "Like, in sentences?"

"Normally yes, they can say a few small, short sentences." Impa nodded. "I'm not sure about Link, though. Every child is different." She sighed. "Let's just wait until tomorrow. We'll find out if Link can talk then."

Zelda got up and headed for her room. "Well, I suppose I'll go to bed, seeing nothing else can go wrong." She shut the door tightly behind her. "Heaven help me." She lay down; hoping it was all a bad dream.

When morning finally came, she creaked open the door, peering into the dining hall where breakfast was served. This morning she could smell the delightful aroma of pancakes. The tiny flicker of hope that she had of this being a dream quickly extinguished when she saw Link, still a two year old; on a chair, munching a pancake with a blissful look on his face.

She couldn't help but allow a tiny smile to form. She walked over and sat across from him; fingering her fork uneasily. She summoned the courage to speak to him. "Good morning, Link." He glanced up for a moment with a blank look on his face, and continued to eat. She sighed, and put the fork down. "Impa, I'm going to start my errands. I'll leave Link here with you…" she trailed off; heading for the door at a brisk pace.

She turned to say good-bye, and noticed Link following her. "Link…" she bent down face to face with him. "I'm going out. You're going to stay here with Impa, okay?" she opened the door and almost fell forward. She turned to see Link holding on to her dress. "Link, you're not coming with me…" she felt frustrated as she tried to tell him again.

She saw him violently shake his head and bury himself into her dress. "Mommy." He looked up; tears were forming in his eyes.

"Oh…fine then." She picked him up. "Impa, never mind. I'm taking Link with me." She picked out a well-ridden horse named Karisha and made sure that she went extremely slow. The first place was Lon Lon Ranch. She pulled herself down from Karisha; helping Link down too. Zelda smiled and had to hold back a chuckle when she saw him contentedly sucking his thumb.

By this time, everyone in the kingdom knew about Link's unfortunate accident. So when Malon met with Zelda and saw him; she was not exceedingly surprised. She bent down. "Why, hello there, little hero." She smiled warmly. Link uttered a small gasp and hid behind Zelda shyly.

Malon giggled and made sure Link was watching her before speaking again. "Well, I guess that about does it with what you need, Zelda. You got the milk now. Too bad, though. I just baked a terrific batch of my homemade chocolate-chip cookies. Unfortunately, I have no one to share them with…" she trailed off and winked at Zelda. Link slowly peeked out from behind Zelda's dress and watched Malon's hand offer him the tasty bait.

He lashed out with a quick grab and inspected the cookie for a moment before starting to nibble it. After a few moments it was completely gone; Link looked up at them with chocolate smeared all over his face. Both Zelda and Malon laughed whole-heartedly. "Well, I guess that's all we need for now, Malon. Thanks for the eatables!" she pointed to the cookies wrapped in the picnic basket she was given. The first errand was done; now for the second.

Link was shuffling along the ground; following Zelda. Suddenly, he bumped into something. He looked up and saw a huge horse staring him in the face. "Epona!" Malon came over quickly. "Do you remember Epona, Link?" she patted the mare who responded with a whinny. "She's your horse."

Link looked up at Epona, and hugged one of her legs. "Horsie!" he squealed. Zelda felt strangely proud as she watched him. That was the second word he said that day.

"Come on, Link. It's time for our second errand." She said good-bye to Malon and rode with Link to a nice spot where she could pick some beautiful wildflowers for her room. "Link, can you say flower?" she asked, picking one up and handing it to him when they had settled down.

Link pursed his lips. "F…" he struggled with the words. "Fower?" he looked at her questioningly.

She laughed out loud. "No, no, no…like this…" she leaned in towards him. "Flower." She formed the word slowly and distinctly. Link took a moment to ponder this.

"F…" he tried again. "Flower!" he smiled.

"Yes! Good job Link!" she went back to her business, she heard Link yelling the word "Flower" over and over again in the background. Once she got tired of it, she sighed, and turned to see him chasing a yellow butterfly.

"Flower! Flower!" Link yelled. Zelda caught his attention by yelling to him.

"No, no, no…" he came over to her. She could hardly talk, she was laughing so hard. "That's not a flower, that's a butterfly!" she laughed. Link tilted his head, thinking.

"Budderfwy?" he asked. Zelda had to suppress hoards of giggles.

"Close enough." She rumpled his hair. "You'll talk when you're ready." She led him back to the horse. "Alright, only one more errand." She felt more confident. Maybe it wasn't as hard to take care of a child as she had thought. She put the flowers in the basket with the cookies and rode with Link to her last destination- the market.

She tied up Karisha and warned Link to stay close to her. She started browsing through all of the different stands and booths of goods. She didn't even notice that the little Hyrulian had left her side.

Link was completely obsessed in his own world; exploring and toddling around the town. The place that most interested Link was the dark alleys. The strange noises, new smells, and the strange people were most alluring to a two-year old. Link was looking down as he walked; watching a tiny bug crawl along his path. He ran into an unusual object and looked up to see what was blocking his fun.

Link felt his heart pump wildly in his chest. The thing he bumped into was a man. A man that was huge! He stared down at the little child and growled in his throat. Link was scared. He felt something about this man was just not good.

Ganondorf peered down at this child that bumped into him. He could have destroyed the impudent young pup in a second. Unfortunately, he had more important matters to deal with. He had been watching Zelda closely. Link was strangely not with her. He was biding his time until he was able to strike. He turned to leave, he needed to plan more.

He abruptly stopped. The little child was still there; watching him intently. He had never seen this little boy before. Yet, something inside told him he had seen the little boy before. He shook his head; disappearing into the dark, damp alleyways.

Link wrinkled his nose as he noticed the scary man walk off. He slowly started back to where he came from; only to hear a scream of relief as Zelda scooped him up. "Link!" she hugged him close; tears forming in her cheeks.

" I was so worried! Don't you ever stray away from me again!" she held him close. She finally let him go for a minute, thinking. "Well, I guess we're done for today. Let's go home for now, Link." She waved her hand, gesturing towards the castle. They both rode Karisha back to the castle.

Zelda swung open the door; carrying Link asleep in one arm and the basket in the other. She carefully laid him down in the bed; falling into the nearest chair; exhausted. Impa watched with growing interest.

"Have a busy day?" she asked, leaning back against the wall.

"You have no idea, Impa." Zelda sighed, letting stress flow out of her. Impa turned away for a moment; attending to something cooking.

"Well, can Link talk?" hearing no answer, she turned to see what was wrong. She chuckled lightly. Zelda was fast asleep. "What awaits us tomorrow?" she thought, watching the sun slowly die in the hills.

Wow…this was a long chapter! Phew…I will try to write the next one soon. I already have the entire story thought out. It should take about, oh…around ten or eleven chapters…just an estimate. Any who, don't forget to review! (That rhymed!);)


	4. Growing up Fast

Hi everybody! Thank you so much for all the reviews! You are all so kind to me! I can't wait to write more. The day goes really fast in this chapter. Oh well. Here you go! Enjoy!

Chapter 4

(Growing up fast)

Zelda woke up not remembering much about the other day; only that Link had spoke a few words and she had a small fright when she could not find him. She found herself immediately going to find him. He was asleep when she swung open the door to his room. She smiled as she heard his steady breathing.

As she approached, she noticed something was wrong. She watched as the sunlight entered the window, illuminating the room. Her eyes grew wide; Link was bigger! She started panicking. She shut the door, and ran straight into Impa as she turned.

"Oh, Impa! I was just about to look for you! Something wrong with Link! He's bigger, older!" Impa shook her head.

"Zelda, I can't understand you if you're talking shaky like that. Calm down and take a deep breathe…" she demonstrated. "Now, tell me what you're so worked up about."

She didn't have to say a word; for at that moment, Link wandered out of the bedroom, groggily wiping his eyes. Impa gasped in surprise, Link certainly was bigger! Now she knew exactly what Zelda was talking about.

Neither of them had to say anything, Link immediately looked up at Zelda and to their unbelievable surprise, spoke to her. "Mommy, I'm hungry."

Zelda pushed her shock out of the way as she bent down a little to get closer to him. "Link, how old are you?" she asked. He smiled, and giggled.

"You're funny mommy. I'm this many!" he held up three fingers. Zelda turned to Impa with a bewildered expression on her face. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment to think. She felt a pulling on her dress and looked down to see Link.

"Mommy…" he started to sound whiny. "I'm hungry…" he pointed at his stomach. "My tummy is making noises." She turned to Impa.

"Could you get him some breakfast, Impa? I need to sort this out…" she collapsed into a chair behind her. Impa helped Link into the nearest chair and set out a few choices; leaving him to eat as he wished. "So, what do you think might have happened?" she asked Impa once they had sat down.

Impa sat back a moment, then leaned forward. "It might be possible that the spells are clashing…the amnesia is winning over the aging. Therefore, Link is almost sure you are his mother, and the younger spell is wearing off…if he grows at the rate of one year per day, he'll be his old age in…fourteen days." She finished triumphantly.

"But, we can't let that happen! How can we get his memory and age back at the same time?" Impa looked surprised as she listened to Zelda. She was definitely wise, there was no doubt. Well, almost no doubt. There were a few times, just a few, when she wasn't sure.

"That's the problem. I can't answer it right away, but maybe after a few days I'll have an idea." She looked confident.

Zelda sighed. "What to do today?" she turned; Link had come back in from eating and was ready to go.

"Mommy, where are we going today?" she was thankful that he could talk at least. Very well, in fact.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Link." She got an idea. "Where do you want to go?" she asked him. Link looked up, thinking.

"Ummm…I want to go to the lake!" he squealed happily. Zelda thought this was reasonable. Why not? At least he couldn't get into trouble as easily out there.

"Okay, I say let's go!" before Impa could even try to say anything; Zelda grabbed Link and they were on their way. As they jumped the fences surrounding the pathway to the lake, Zelda hugged Link close, making sure he didn't fall off. Once they got there, she lifted him off Karisha, letting him wander as she watched him closely.

After chasing some shadows and running about he came over and plopped down, worn out and panting. He looked up towards her. She smiled, and laughed. "Are you tired already?" in response to this, he let himself fall backwards, closing one eye as he looked upwards into the sky. "What are you doing?" Zelda was fascinated.

"A fish." He stated plainly. She titled her head a little.

"What?" she was bewildered. "What are you talking about?" He pointed a finger at the sky.

"Up there." She finally noticed what he was talking about.

"Oh, I get it. You see a cloud shaped like a fish." He laughed. It sounded so innocent, that Zelda herself couldn't help but chuckle. They lay down in the soft, green grass for hours, spotting many different shapes in the sky. Link turned to her after a while.

"I love you mommy." She blushed. "Thank you Link." She didn't have the courage to admit that she loved him too. Even if it was to a three year old who thought she was his mommy. "I think we slept a little late today." She noticed. The sun was already sinking lower in the distance. Link frowned.

"Hic!" she turned to him. He was completely serious. Then, she suddenly saw him jump a little. "Hic!"

"Link! You have the hiccups!" she cuddled him. "Hold your breath." He agreed to this, and took a deep breath. After a moment, he let it out. The hiccups were gone. He looked up thankfully. "Consider it a pleasure." Zelda needed no thanks from Link for something so little. "You don't have to say thank you."

"Even little things mean a lot, mommy." Zelda was stunned for a moment. He was actually sounding wise for a moment. He was only three, too. She shrugged it off.

"Come on, Link. We should be getting back to the castle soon anyway." She helped him up again. Without her, he would be helpless. They rode back to the castle in silence. She decided to leave Link in his old clothes. They seemed to grow as he grew, so that was helpful. She tucked him in, feeling a little embarrassed as she did. He snuggled down into the covers.

"Good-night mommy." He whispered. She lifted herself off of the bed.

"Sweet dreams, Link." His steady breathing could already be heard.

She slowly closed the door, yet she was nervous to leave his side. She knew he was most likely going to age another year. But, what happened when he was old enough to figure out something was wrong with his life and his "mommy"? How on earth was she going to explain puberty? Impa approached casually, noticing something was troubling her.

"Nothing's wrong, Impa. I just was thinking." She left without saying another word. Impa sighed. Zelda was dealing with Link very well. But, it would not get easier from here…She should handle it fine. At least, she hoped so.

I know it's short. It's pretty cool though. I like it, at least. I only ask that you review please! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! ;)


	5. Little Dreamer

Hi hi everybody! Here's my new chapter! I hope it's more interesting than the last one. I decided to put just a hint of fluffy stuff in for my reviewer who likes it.(wink) You know who you are…;p

Chapter 5

Little Dreamer

Zelda woke up very early the next morning. She couldn't help it. She hadn't been able to sleep at all that night. She wanted to check on Link, but she was so afraid…what if he had grown again? She couldn't bring herself to open the door; so she went to fix herself some breakfast. She sat down, slowly spooning some type of oatmeal into her mouth. Impa came in; Zelda was always confused when it came to Impa's ways. Did she even know what time it was?

"Don't you ever sleep?" she asked her guardian. Impa showed a rare smile.

"No." a simple reply. Zelda knew she was joking. They started to talk about Link's problem. "I think he should be the same age today. You don't have to worry." Impa stated.

"Are you sure?" Zelda wasn't so confident. She felt uneasy as she thought.

"Well, if my theory is correct…he shouldn't age rapidly. Just once every few days. Have you checked on him yet?" she asked.

"No." Zelda sighed unhappily. "I'm afraid to." They both heard the door creak open behind them. Zelda braced herself, and turned to look. They both heard a voice, timid but much more mature sounding resound from the bedroom.

"Mom? Can I come out?" Zelda held her breath.

"Yes, Link." She could barely reply. As Link stepped out, Impa immediately spoke.

"Well, back to the drawing board." Link was at least a few inches taller, he walked over to the table, sitting down. Zelda leaned over, amazed at how much he had grown.

"Link?" she asked, "How old are you?" she was afraid to ask. He looked up at her with confusion on his face.

"Gee, why do you wanna know that mom? I'm five of course." He smiled. "Can we go to the sword shop again today?" he changed the subject quickly. Now Zelda was confused.

"Link, why don't you go get some breakfast. Then we'll talk about what we're going to do today." He looked down, disappointed.

"Aww…okay." He slipped off the chair with hesitance. As soon as he left the room, Zelda started to talk to Impa.

"What was that? He was five! Two years more from yesterday! What sword shop? Yesterday we went to look at clouds!" Impa reached across the table and grabbed her by the arm.

"Zelda, calm down. I think he's creating his own memories. It's difficult to explain…" she sat back in the chair. "His body is aging so fast, that his mind is creating memories to go along with the missed years. Therefore, he thinks you took him to the sword shop, when you never did anything like that. His body is aging more rapidly than I thought. I'll try to figure something out, you take him where he wanted to go." She left the room in a hurry, muttering about magic and other things.

Link came back, waiting for an answer from his mom. "Can we please go mom?" Zelda nodded. "Yes! Thank you!" he ran to the door. As they approached the stables, Link hesitated.

"Link? What's wrong?" Zelda looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"I just wondered…" he scoffed his foot against the floor. "Could we maybe take Epona instead of Karisha today?" Zelda took a moment to reply.

"Of course not! You're not old enough yet to ride Epona!" she frowned. "You could get hurt." Link opened his mouth as if he were going to argue, and then thought better of it. They rode to town in silence. Link entered into the shop without even waiting for Zelda to tie up Karisha.

He approached the displays with awe. He had never seen anything like this. They were amazing. The shopkeeper, an old man saw Link's interest and approached him from behind. "Beautiful, aren't they?" Link whirled around, seeing the man.

"Yes sir." Zelda had come in by this time and was examining some throwing weapons. "I wish I could wield something like this…" he placed a hand on the glass case of one extra-sharp looking sword. The old man chuckled.

"You are extremely well-spoken for one so young. I tell you what, come here for a minute." He motioned for Link to follow him to the counter. Link leaned forward as the old man pulled something out from behind the counter. He gasped when he saw the shopkeeper pull out a beautiful sword. The old man whirled it around his head a few times; then stopped to wink.

He turned to the young Hyrulian. "Would you like to wield something like this someday?"

"Yes sir!" Link exclaimed, nodding his head. His expression turned gloomy. "But everyone says I'm too little." He looked down.

"Hey…" the old man looked him square in the eye. "Follow your dreams. Someday, my lad, you will be a great warrior." Link eyes grew huge.

"You really think so?" he whispered.

"I'm sure of it." The old man nodded. "Just keep your dreams high, and your causes higher." Link was bewildered.

"What does that mean?" he titled his head.

"You'll find out when you're ready." He ruffled the young boy's hair. He then shuffled off into the back room. Zelda came back.

"You ready to go home, Link?" she asked. The days went by so fast. They stopped to look at other shops along the way, and as the end of the day came closer; Zelda noticed that Link was acting strange. He seemed to grow more and more uncomfortable as the night came closer. She merely interpreted it as he was tired or something.

Finally, she somehow pulled herself through the whole day, tucking Link into bed again. As she closed the door, however, she heard him whimper just a little. She peeked her head back in. "Are you okay, Link?" she asked, concerned.

"Yes mom…" he whispered. But Zelda wasn't so sure. She went to bed anyway, seeing Impa was nowhere to be found.

It was late into the night when Zelda heard something rustle beside her. She lifted herself from bed; her hair sticking out everywhere. "Mom?" she heard a whisper by her door.

"Link?" she muttered, turning to look out the window in her room. "It's late…go to bed." The night was still pitch black. She didn't hear him for a while, so she supposed he had gone back to bed. She had almost drifted back to sleep when the tiny whisper came again.

"Mom?" She groaned, pulling the pillow over her head. "Mom?" she ripped her body upward, and faced him angrily.

"What?" she could barely see his face. Her attitude stopped immediately when she heard the noise of sniffling. The moon shone through her room and she could see his tear-stained face…

"Link…" she sat up in bed; genuinely showing concern. "What's wrong?" she asked gently.

"It happened again, mom." He was on the brink of another flood of tears.

"What happened, Link?" she leaned closer as he walked over to her bedside.

"I…I had a bad dream again." He looked up, he had started crying again. "Why won't he leave me alone, mom? Why won't the scary man go away?"

"Link…" she felt her heart go out to him. "Link, you can sleep with me tonight. The scary man won't get you here." She scooted over, letting him climb in with her. In a minute flat, he was asleep. She smiled, pulling him close. The night was ending, daytime would soon be here. Until then, she would let him stay as long as he wanted. She would let the little dreamer sleep.

Okay, you can't tell me that wasn't cute! I hope you liked the quick reviews, cause they won't be happening anymore. (spring break is gone) I'll still try to update by the end of this week, though! ;)


	6. Consequences of Disobeying

Hi everybody! I thank you all for your reviews! I have another story planned after this…it's going to be really cool, I think. I love this story so much! I'm glad it's not going to be over for a while. Here you go!

Chapter 6

Consequences of Disobeying

Zelda woke up first; she almost rolled over Link. She jumped a little, and then relaxed. He had slept with her last night. It just took her a moment to remember. She rolled over, and hugged him tightly.

"Mom? You can let me go now." She almost screamed when she saw Link. He had grown again! And this time, boy had he grown! He had shot up at least another year, probably more. Zelda was not happy with this. The first thing she decided to do was ask him how old he was. She asked, and then she noticed his hopeful expression.

"Am I old enough, Mom?" he seemed to be pleading with her. She pursed her lips.

"How old are you again? And what do you want to do?" he snorted as if he were insulted.

"I'm eight Mom! More than old enough to ride Epona on my own, right?" he looked up innocently. She shook her head.

"Of course not, Link! You're still a kid! You can't ride her on your own! Not until you're forty!" she hadn't even realized what she said until it came out of her mouth. Link gaped in amazement.

"Forty? You are kidding, right Mom?" the look on his face was so funny that Zelda couldn't help but giggle.

"Okay, maybe seventeen." She rumpled his hair. "Run along and eat breakfast! Then you can decide where you want to go today!" she shooed him along; he ran eagerly to the kitchen. "He's so young and innocent." She said to herself.

After a couple of minutes, Link was done with his breakfast. He came into the main room where he found his mom reading a book on magic. He sauntered up to her. "Can we maybe go to the graveyard, mom?" he muttered it under his breath, knowing she would say no.

Zelda was already irritated at Impa's sudden disappearance. When she heard this suggestion, she grew even more frustrated. "What? Why would you want to go there? I think we might be able to go to the village, but not the graveyard." Link gave a disappointed sigh.

"Oh, alright." He wasn't happy, but it was better than nothing. Kakariko village was too boring. If he was ever going to be a warrior, he needed more than that. "At least it's a start." He nodded. In no time at all, they had packed a lunch and set off. He was growing tired of riding Karisha. She was an old horse. He wanted more action, more than that.

As soon as they arrived, Link started running off. "Hey, where are you going young man?" Zelda called after him. Link returned slowly.

"I was going to play with the village kids." He looked up sulkily. Zelda sighed.

"Alright, but don't go too far. I want you to report back here by the time the sun hits the bell." She pointed to the shadow that was slowly crawling up the tall tower. Link smiled.

"Thanks mom! See you later!" he ran off, finding a few new playmates who were exploring around the town. He spent the rest of the day playing and laughing. He played for so long that he almost missed the meeting time. He ran up to Zelda, who was ready to go. "Mom, can I please please please stay just a few more minutes?" he looked up hopefully. "We just found a bug! It's a caterpillar! Pleeeassseee!" he begged. Zelda assumed he made friends with a few boys. She had never seen Link so happy before.

"Well, I guess so. Just make sure you are back at the castle by night. Don't forget Link!" she made him look her in the eyes. "Promise me you won't forget! Promise me you'll come back by then!" she made sure he heard her.

"Okay. I promise Mom. I won't forget. I'll come back before night." Zelda left regretfully, but she needed a break anyway. So she reluctantly galloped off, heading for the castle.

Link was frustrated when he saw the sun almost down. This caused him to doubt himself. "Should I really go back?" he thought. "Mom won't mind if I stay a few extra minutes, will she? I mean, it's not like she told me to come back right away, right?" Link knew he was disobeying her; his heart told him so. Oh, why did they have to be having so much fun? He looked in the direction of the castle; the sun was sinking lower every minute. Finally, the wrong decision won over the influence of right.

Link stayed with his new friends, running around and having a good time. That is, until he heard their mothers calling them. It was at this moment that he realized what time it was. He glanced at the sun, which still showed a glimmer of light behind the horizon.

He didn't think, only ran off in the direction of his home. "I don't know what Mom was so worried about anyway…" he grumbled as he ran. "So I'm a few minutes late, big deal." Link was almost there when he heard a strange creaking noise. He stopped for moment and listened. Link then saw something that made his heart freeze in terror.

The drawbridge to the market…it was raising! "No!" Link yelled; sprinting as fast as an eight year old could have. But by the time he arrived, it had raised itself up. Link stood at the edge of the moat, dumbfounded. His terror did not end there, for as soon as he shook himself from the pure horror of being locked out until morning, he heard another strange sound.

It was a clanking of some sort, as if someone was rattling dozens of chains at once. He turned and screamed bloody murder. Ambling towards him clumsily were skeletons. Two or three of them, with eyes glowing red. Link had heard about these nightmares. They were called "Stalchildren" or something like that. He somehow knew about them and that they attacked only at night.

Out of pure desperateness, he made a flying leap into the water. The skeletons made their way to the water's edge and dissolved instantly. Link swam to a small inlet on the water's edge. Much to his unbelievable relief, they did not follow. He let himself lay down on the ground, freezing cold and with a scraped knee. Oh why did he have to disobey Mom?

He leaned against the lone tree on the outlet; hugging his knees for warmth. The morning would come…a thought suddenly hit him. The girl in his dreams! She looked just like his mom. But, why? Mom looked so young, so helpless, as she galloped by with Impa. Then, that man came. The one with the evil glint in his eye. He knew he had seen this man before, but where? He did not have time to think about it, for he drifted off into a deep, miserable sleep.

Before the sun came over the mountains, Zelda had ordered the whole town out to help with the search party. It was Impa who found Link. She yelled to Zelda, jumping over to the inlet and grabbing Link. She returned to Zelda, who grabbed Link in her arms. She held him like she would never see him again. "Link, I was so scared." Link woke up instantly. She was so thankful that Impa was smart enough to order the drawbridge down.

"I'm okay Mom. I'm…sorry." He looked at her with sad eyes. She shook her head.

"Link, I think you've been punished enough. You need to rest for awhile…" she stopped. A bright light had engulfed him. It blinded her for a moment, and when she opened her eyes again, she caught her breath in her throat. Link was ten. She didn't have to ask. She knew. He looked exactly as he did the first time they had met. He looked up at her.

"Mom, I…" he wanted to ask a lot of questions about the dream. He stopped, and shut his mouth. It would be better to keep it to him self for a while. He pulled on her dress, motioning to the castle. "Can we go home now, Mom? I'm a little tired." He asked.

"Yes, Link. Just let me pick up something at the market." She held his hand as they strolled off. Impa started a brief walk about Hyrule. Something told her that everything was not alright. Her sage side told her something was wrong. Little did Zelda know that someone was following her...

Well, did you like it? I tried to make it a good length. I'm going to be gone for a week, so I don't think I'll be able to update for a while. I'll try to have the next chapter written when I get back for you so all I have to do is print it up. Okay, time for something completely new…reviewing replies!

_GoldenSunGeek: _ Hi new person! Thanks! So glad you like it! I know how you feel about finding new fics!

_SomeSayTheWorldWillEnd:_ Yes, I am going to go somewhere with Link's attitude here…but I can't say anymore! (Glances about suspiciously) You might find more of a clue in this chapter!

_Meowzi: _I know, I want him to stay young forever too! (Hugs young Link) Unfortunately, that would make the story way too long! (laughs) And yes, I can tell you. He will be troublesome. And welcome! I love new reviewers!

_KrazieShadowNinja: _Yes, school is evil. We all know it. (sighs) I'm trying to update as fast as I can! I'll try even harder just for you. When I get back from this week, of course.

_FrodoBaggins87: _Yay! A new person! Hello! (looks at review) Do you really think "Okay" is slang? Hmmm…I guess it is. I never really thought about it before. Sorry about that. I'm right along with you for the "Hyrule is a real place thing." Glad you like it though!

_Shadow Link50: _Thanks! I'm especially happy that you like my writing style and think I'm getting better. You're so nice!


	7. Keep your causes higher

Hello again to everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been gone for a week… I felt like adding a little more humor in this chapter along with the drama, so I added lines from two movies in with the story. See if you can find them…

Chapter 7

(Keep your causes higher)

Link was tired and confused. Why was Mom in his dreams as a kid? Why was she so young? What did that old man at the sword shop mean by "keep your causes higher?" He pulled on Zelda's dress as she walked towards a vegetable stand. She turned and looked down at him.

"What is it Link?" she asked. He hesitated a moment.

"You're my Mom, right?" Zelda looked in his eyes.

"Of course, Link, why?" she lied, but she didn't want to tell him she wasn't his mother. Link held his hands up in a confused manner.

"Well, if you're my Mom, then where's Dad?" he asked. Zelda held in a breath. What should she tell him?

"You have no father." She simply replied. He titled his head, shutting his eyes in thought.

"Alright." He accepted the thought. Zelda sighed thankfully.

"Stay with me, Link. We're almost done." She wandered from one booth to the next. Unfortunately, Link's adventurous side once again took control of him. It only took a minute and Link had left her side. He took off, heading towards the alley once again.

Ganondorf watched from the shadows. He blinked a few times, his eyes wide. It was impossible…Link, a child? Yet Zelda was still a teenager…this could present a singular opportunity for him. With Link destroyed, Zelda would be easy prey. He bided his time, following stealthily as only a Gerudo could have.

Link yelled out, completely unafraid. "Hey, you can come out now." Ganondorf relinquished his hiding place and approached warily. Link looked at this green-skinned man, interested. He knew, of course this man was not to be trusted.

"What do you want?" Link asked.

"I know about you, Link. I can make you more powerful than you could ever imagine. Join me." Link looked insulted.

"I'll never join you…" suddenly, an inspiration hit him. "You…you must have killed my father!" Well, it seemed possible anyway… Ganondorf was the next one to be hit with an inspiration. The way to get to Link was to be "family". He stepped closer, extending a hand.

"No, Link…I am your father!" Link staggered back.

"No, that's not true! That's impossible!" he began backing up, ready to run.

"Search your feelings; you know it to be true." Link ran as hard as he could. Immediately, Ganondorf took to the chase, throwing energy balls of black magic. Link made a wild jump into the only hiding place near, which just happened to be a trash can.

Luckily, he succeeded in losing Ganondorf, who headed in an opposite direction. Link climbed out, wincing as he picked an old banana peel off of his shoulder. Next he heard another voice yelling in his direction.

"Hey, you're Link, right?" he turned to see a boy about thirteen years walking towards him. Link smiled, and walked towards the potential playmate.

"Hey! Yeah, that's me! Why?" the boy met Link a few feet away, then, to his unbelievable surprise, punched him smack in the jaw. He fell backwards. "What did you do that for!" he yelled angrily. The boy growled in his throat.

"Because of you, I had to get up at the crack of dawn today!" Link winced.

"Sorry about that." The boy started laughing, making fun of Link.

"You are such a little girl! Oh, I'm so sorry! I do hope I haven't inconvenienced you in any way! Yeah, you better walk away!" Link was almost around the corner of the alley when something very surprising happened. "You little chicken! Your mother was raised by wolfos! Yeah, you heard me! Your Mom's a pansy, just like you!" The boy, whose name was Darian, turned and laughed at his triumph.

Then, a strange yelling sound reached his ears. He whirled around to catch a glimpse of Link, his head lowered like a goat; charging straight towards him. He didn't even have time to duck before Link ran right into him and pushed him into the ground, knocking all of the wind out of him.

"Take it back!" Link growled.

"No!" Darian refused. Link started increasing his weight on him.

"I said, Take it back!" Even Link himself was surprised at his sudden adrenalin rush.

"No…" Darian was now struggling to breathe. Link was suddenly pushed off of him with a swift kick. Darian grabbed a whistle around his neck and blew it. Two more boys came out of the shadows, helping him to his feet. "Get him!" he commanded, pointed at Link. For the next five minutes, they shoved Link against the wall and punched him unmercifully. Soon, he had a bloody lip, a black eye, and dirty, torn clothes.

"Darain, stop it!" One of the other boys, named Johnny came into the middle. "Darian, he can't stand, look at him, he's had enough!" Darian looked up.

"I'll tell you when he's had enough! No mercy!" he rushed in for a final kick. Link was almost unconscious. Suddenly, Darian was knocked down. He jumped back to his feet. Someone was blocking the way to Link.

He was wearing rags which covered all of his body, except for a little blonde hair and fiery red eyes. "Darian." Johnny whispered. "Look." He pointed to the symbol on the person's chest. "Sheikah." Darian shrugged it off.

"Johnny, Bobby, get him!" They all rushed him, but he disappeared, only to appear again behind them.

A large chain extended from his palm and he whipped them off their feet, spanking them with the chain. They were roughly pushed against the wall and hoards of tiny needles flew their way to make sure they stayed where they were put. He approached Darian, the leader, and crouched down to his level. They all heard him softly whisper only loud enough for all of them to hear.

"If I ever see any of you touch him again, I'll have to kick your sorry butts all the way to the other side of town. Do you understand me?" he asked. Darian only nodded, shaking with fear. "Alright." He made a motion with his hand and the needles flew back. The bullies ran so fast, they were gone without a trace in less than a minute.

Link was only conscious to see that last second as they ran away. Sheik picked him up; heading back to the castle. He did not wake up until he was back in his bed. Zelda was there, bandaging his cuts and bruises. She looked at him sadly. "Link, why did you get into a fight?" she asked gently.

"I…I heard them insult you. I couldn't let them do that…" he trailed off. "I'm sorry." Zelda smiled as she saw him close his eyes.

"Oh, Link…" she began humming Zelda's lullaby to him, ever so soft.

Link's eyelids snapped open; he started groaning. Thoughts began racing through his mind. He saw a dragon, a drum, and a water-filled room. He began holding his head. Zelda immediately stopped her singing.

"Link, what's wrong?" she exclaimed. Link gasped.

"Mom…Z…elda…" he looked up at her. For just a split second, she could see him. His older side. "Zelda?" he uttered her name, and then fell back into unconsciousness for the rest of the night.

So, what do you think? The Ganondorf part was cheesy I thought, but whatever. I really like how this story is turning out. Let me know what you think! Reader replies!

_SomeSayTheWorldWillEnd: _Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! I try to make each chapter have its own uniqueness!

_Sapphire the wind wolf: _So glad you like it! Yeah, it's getting harder with each chapter…it's just going to get more and more interesting…(laughs evily)

_Shadow Link50: _Ha ha! Thanks, I try to update at least once a week if I can. Unless cough anime cough is on tv…;)

_Chelsea: _Welcome! I love new reviewers! I'd like to email you, but I don't think I'll be allowed to…sorry.:( But I am glad you like my story! I hope you keep reading and reviewing! ;)

_moonstonecat: _Thanks! I'll keep updating, don't worry! (wink)

_toonluver: _It makes me happy you loved it! Hmmm…life's great mysteries…what happened to the bug?...

_BakOtaku: _Now, you r awesome. I saw what you said about me in your story…I'm still blushing…thanks…(smiles) I'd like to see the go sakume dance…yeah, it's turning out to be a bit of a drama thing…;)

_Dragoonknight1: _If you'll look in this chapter, you'll see that he's starting to remember just a wee bit…don't worry, it'll come…(laughs evily) Oh, and welcome new reviewer! (holds out gift baskets)

_GoldenSunGeek: _That would be really funny! I'll think about it. Thanks on the chapter compliment! Again, if you look, you'll see that it's beginning…

_Meowzi: _Here you go! An update! Oh yeah, and Link's puberty is coming sooner than you think…next cough…chapter….;) I know it may seem a little young, but I have a plan…I hope.;)


	8. From Zero to Hero

_Okay, sorry about the movie thing last chapter guys; I was in a weird mood. No more movie quotes. Oh, and the two that I used were…."Star Wars" (duh!) and "Karate Kid". But, I did use a Hercules line in my chapter title…hee hee! Remember how I said puberty was this chapter? Well, it's not. Sorry! I decided to postpone it for the next chapter! Well, hope you like it!_

Chapter 8

(From Zero to Hero)

Link woke up sore and stiff. Zelda was sitting beside him; she gazed at the young man in front of her. These were what Impa had called "the forgotten years". The years he never knew because of the Temple of Time.

"Link." She got his attention. "Are you okay?" she tenderly reached out, gently massaging his leg.

"Yeah…" he paused. "Mom?" he turned to her. "Please, can I go out alone for a while? I need to think." Zelda thought for a moment. She smiled mischievously.

"That depends, how old are you, Link?" that way she could ask without sounding weird. He looked strangely at her.

"I'm eleven, Mom." Zelda smiled.

"Alright, but swear to me you won't get in any trouble. Don't get into any trouble, Link…please." She watched him.

"I swear Mom…gosh, you don't have to worry. No trouble, I promise." Little did Zelda know he had his fingers crossed. Once he had walked out of the room, he began walking faster. This continued until he reached the castle outskirts; where he was at a full sprint.

He sighed as he reached the market. He had a lot on his mind. He decided to take it easy and played a short game of Bombachu Bowling. That is, until he accidentally blew up the counter.

Next, he tried an archery game, with a little more success. He seemed to be very good at shooting arrows, though he didn't know why. He really wanted the big quiver as his prize, but the manager said he was too little. So, he had to settle with a tiny teddy bear. He tucked it in his clothes pocket, and started walking away.

"Hey, kid!" the manager yelled after him. He returned sulkily.

"Yeah?" he asked, still sore at the fact that he didn't get the big quiver.

"Tell me something, how did you get so good at shooting arrows?" the manager seemed to be very interested at how someone so small had such good aim. "What do you do, shoot the sun in your spare time?" he laughed.

"Yeah, I did that once." Link clapped his hand to his mouth. What was he saying? He never shot the sun before…at least; he didn't think so…everything started getting blurry…he shook his head. The manager had gone to help another customer, leaving Link alone.

Link walked away, murmuring to himself. "I don't get it…why am I seeing Mom as a kid?" He walked along the path, still in deep thought. "Why am I seeing these things?" He walked past a small street band which consisted of one person playing the bongos. A picture flashed through his mind.

Everything was dark…where was he? A pounding caused him to stumble. He looked down, and noticed the room became lit up. He was on a giant drum! Something was hitting it, making him almost fall with each beat. He glanced around, and screamed.

Link snapped out of the daydream. "What was that thing?" he thought. "I feel like I know…but I don't…" A scream sounded from another part of the town. Link decided to go see what it was about.

Once he reached the clearing, he noticed several things immediately. First of all, he saw Darian and his bullies. Then he noticed they were crowding around something. And finally, there were no adults in this part of town. As he drew closer to see what they were laughing about, he saw something he did not expect.

They were crowding around a little girl. She was his age, it looked like. They were teasing her and pulling her long blonde hair. Link watched as they poked and prodded her as if she were some kind of animal. He heard some of the things they were saying.

"What are you going to do now, huh? You act tough when your Daddy's around, but now he's not around, is he?" the girl looked up, tears streaking her cream-colored face.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed, clutching something close. Link watched as they grabbed the object away from her. It was a doll. It was really dirty and beat up, but the girl seemed to care about it a lot. She started reaching for it as they held it just above her head. Then they began tossing it back and forth.

"Your Dad's gone, and he's never coming back!" she burst into tears. Suddenly, Darian heard a voice he knew all too well.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Link approached them with long strides, running right up to Darian and his goons. He tried not to look intimidated at all.

"Well, well, well…look who it is. Have you come back for a second beating?" he laughed.

"Give her back her doll now…or else." Link growled. Darian looked him square in the eye.

"Or else what?" he threatened.

"Or I'll be forced to introduce you to a world of pain and misery." Link stared him down.

"Let me handle this one guys…" Darian rolled up his fists.

"I tried to warn you…" Link did the same.

"You're going down!" Darian jumped toward Link, ready to push him into the dirt. Instead he got a face-full of ground. He whirled around. "How did you do that?" Link looked down at his hand; he was holding some sort of crystal. It shone a light green hue and was very fragile looking. Darian jumped for him once again, this time brandishing a small dagger.

This time it made contact. Not with Link, but with a force field surrounding him. The girl called to Link. "How are you doing that?"

Link stammered. "I…I don't know!" This time, another crystal was in his hand. It glowed a blue instead. He was bewildered. "How is this happening?" he was unbelievably scared. Somehow he knew what to do every time Darian attacked him. By this time, Darian was furious. He called to his gang, and they all began to rush Link.

In a rush of hope, Link bent down as if he were going to crush the crystal. A ring of fire exploded from all around him, setting all of the bullies' clothes on fire. They all screamed in terror and pain, running from the scene in any direction.

After the fire died down, the girl ran over to Link. "Are you okay? That was amazing! You were amazing! How'd you do that?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I have no idea how any of that just happened." He looked like he was in shock. "I…I don't even have anything like that…" the crystals were gone. It was like they were never there. The girl smiled, extending a friendly hand.

"In any case, you saved me…I don't know how to ever repay you." She helped Link to his feet. "You see, my father died two weeks ago. I had nothing left…except my Lilac…" she turned to where she had last seen her doll. Her eyes grew wide and teary. Her doll was now nothing but a pile of smoldering ashes. "Oh…" her eyes squeezed out a few tears. "My father…gave her…to me." She choked between sobs as she fell to her knees.

"Please…don't cry." Link stooped down to her level. He got an idea. "I know it's not much…but do you want this?" he pulled the small teddy bear he had won out of his pocket and offered it to her. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the gift.

"You mean…can I really have it...please?" she looked so thankful and happy.

"Sure." Link shrugged a little. What would he do with a teddy bear anyway?

"Thank you!" she took the offering and hugged him. Link froze for a second. No one had ever done anything like that to him before. "By the way, I never think we were properly introduced." She stood back. "What's your name?" Link smiled.

"I'm Link. Who are you?" he asked.

"My name's Krystal!" she laughed, hugging her teddy bear close. "You know what, Link? I'm naming my teddy bear after you! I'm going to name him hero, cause that's what you are!" she laughed. Link saw the sun going down.

"I think I have to go home now…" Krystal ran in front of him.

"Wait! Please don't leave! I…I don't know where to go…you see my Mom is dead too…and…" Link interrupted.

"And you don't have anywhere to stay…" he looked at her plainly.

"Yeah." She sniffled. Link thought for a minute.

"Come on." He led her to the town inn. He went up to the innkeeper's desk. "How much would it be for one of your rooms?" he asked.

"That depends." The innkeeper looked roughly at the couple of kids. "Our lowest room is five rupees a night and the best room is fifty a night." Link took out his prized possession- a five hundred rupee, and put it on the counter.

"We'll take it for five nights then." The innkeeper looked surprised, but rang up the totals and handed them the key. "Here you go, Krystal. Take the room. I'll be back tomorrow and we can talk more." He smiled.

"You really mean it? Thank you so much!" she hugged him again, smiling like she owned the world.

"Ummm…Krystal?" Link whispered.

"Yes, Link?" she asked, overjoyed.

"You're…um…choking me…" she let go immediately, as Link sucked in big gulps of air.

"Sorry! Are you okay?" she laughed. Link rubbed his throat.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He headed for the door. "I'll, uh, see you tomorrow I guess." He backed up, falling backwards over a chair. He quickly picked himself up, blushing a bright red. Krystal giggled.

"See you tomorrow!" she ran up the stairs.

"See you…" Link walked back home, again deep in thought. He entered the castle to his room. No one was around. He tucked himself under the sheets, but he did find it odd that he couldn't stop thinking about Krystal. She had such an amazing laugh; it was more beautiful than anything he had ever heard. He shook his head, sighing as sleep overcame him. And for once, it was peaceful, for he dreamed about his new friend.

_Okay, that was the longest chapter I've ever done yet. Yay! So, what does everyone think about Krystal? Two fast updates! Time to put on some trance music! Get down tonight, Get down tonight, hah…Sorry.(giggles) I'll try to update fast! ;)_

_GoldenSunGeek: _Yay! I get a signed review! Yeah, I'm looking forward to the star wars movie, anyway.. I'm glad you liked my cliffie! I have waited for someone to say something like that for forever…and don't worry, if I use anyone's ideas, I will give them credit! (winks)

_Zekoi: _Thank yu! I am always happy when people like my stories! (gives gift basket) Welcome new reviewer!

_Lightlink: _Hi! (gives another gift basket) Ummm…did you read the author's note at the beginning of the last chapter? I said I used movies…(clears throat) Anywho, thanks for pointing that out. You're the only one who got the Karate Kid, though. I think…

_Sapphirethewindwolf: _I was hoping someone would like the fact that I brought Sheik in instead of Zelda. I'm really glad you liked it!

_Meozandtoonluver: _I'm gonna do both of you at once. Link eating a bug!That's hilarious! So, did you like Link beating up the bullies in this chapter? Yah, I know, I know, Link is so much cuter as a kid. But it would just be too short of a story! I've never seen "spaceballs" but it sounds funny! Hah hah! Link's infinite magic! Sly Cooper, say your prayers! ;p

_Dragoonknight1: _Thanks for the nice review! Hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

_Meggy: _(gives gift basket) No! Don't die from laughing! I don't know cpr! Lol.

_Somesaytheworldwillend: _Yeah, I have to start cutting back on the cuteness, but not…funniness! I made up a word! Hah hah! Link beat up the bullies!

_Theherooftime: _(gives yet another gift basket)I bet you liked the bully thing most of all, huh? I updated fast enough, right?

_OpiaFire: _Thanks again! Looks like you really liked the cheesy dialogue! ;P

_Nabooru92: _I think I gave you one, but whatever. (gives gift basket) I think that would be really weird to have the disclaimer kissed by Darunia.

_BakOtaku: _Lol, You are so funny. I'll have to be careful not to pass you…(watches carefully) Don't worry, Ganon will have his moment in the spotlight. Where he actually…(slaps hand over mouth) You almost made me give the plot away! Dang, you're good…

_Let me just say another few things before I'm done. Cheese! You new reviewers are taking all my gift baskets…I have to go buy more now…For all of you who have been waiting…(good things come to those who wait) in the next chapter comes…puberty! Duh duh duh…And, finally, I was amazed at all the sudden reviews! Keep em coming, guys! Later! ;)_


	9. Don't Look Back

_Hola my friends! I really need to work on my schoolwork, so the updates will be coming later and later. Fortunately, I have been able to give you the next chapter as you see before you. I have gotten many different opinions about Krystal. Those of you worried about the romance, stop worrying. I can't reveal a lot more, but I stand by the rating, it is a Zelda Link romance. Don't worry any longer. Here you are! And Krystal does not know about Link's problem._

Chapter 9

(Don't Look Back)

Link kept his eyes shut; refusing to admit to the fact that he was awake. The first thing that he noticed was that his bed was unusually uncomfortable and he had a strong pain in his right leg. As he shifted ever so slightly, it seemed to increase in intensity, radiating to his whole body. This sudden jolt of reality caused him to yelp and sit up in bed.

Link's eyes widened; since when did his legs drape over the end of the bed? The sudden pain returned; he winced, rubbing his calf. He felt terrible. He walked into the kitchen, his eyes drooping. Zelda got one look at him and screamed. This caused him to scream in return. He stopped, and grabbed his throat. Since when did his voice get so deep?

Zelda inhaled sharp, quick breaths. Link…he was huge! Yesterday, he was only a little boy! Now, he looked like he was fifteen years old! He stood there for a minute; she watched him until she finally snapped out of it. "Link, come over here and eat." She was still in shock when he sat across from her.

He looked up at her. "Mom, how old am I?" he asked. Zelda looked confused.

"I…Are you…" she guessed. "Are you thirteen?" he smiled.

"That's right! Now you won't have to ask me." He fingered his spoon. The pain once again ran up his leg. He grabbed it, wincing.

"What's wrong, Link?" Zelda looked concerned.

"I don't know, Mom. It's weird…I feel pain all over my body. It really hurts. And I think I outgrew my bed." He smiled sheepishly. Zelda's eyes widened. She knew it was bound to happen eventually…puberty. How in the world was she going to explain it!

"Link, I think you can go out again today, but don't stay out too long, okay?" she knew he would ask anyway.

"Really? Gee, thanks Mom! I'll come back soon!" he got up, and started running for the door. When he got to the edge of the kitchen, he stopped. He walked back up to Zelda. "Umm…Mom? I never really thanked you for taking care of me and stuff…so…" he kissed her hesitantly, and ran out of the door. Zelda held her cheek.

"He…he kissed me…" she stammered. "Well, I never thought…." She smiled to herself.

Link was running with all his strength. He really wanted to see Krystal again. Somehow, she reminded him of someone…he tried to think of who it might be. Only one figure came to his mind. Mom. In the dream, she looked exactly like Krystal! Well, almost. He shook the thoughts from his mind. He had arrived at the inn.

"Link?" he heard a puzzled exclamation. He looked up to see Krystal sitting on the roof of the inn, smiling down at him.

"Get down, are you crazy?" Link exploded. "You can't sit up there! You might break your neck!" she laughed loudly.

"You party pooper! Alright, alright, I'm coming!" she got down, and walked towards him. She cocked her head when she got close to him. "You look different…you're taller!" she smiled. "How old are you anyway?" she asked.

"Thirteen." Link smiled. She looked happy.

"Really? Me too!" she looked off in the distance. "Want to watch the sun go down and stare at the clouds?" she pleaded with him; showing her puppy dog eyes.

"Okay." Link shrugged. There was nothing better to do anyway. The two of them spent the rest of the day lazily watching the clouds float by and spotting the shapes in them. Nearing the end of the day, Link began to feel strange. He kept his mouth shut, though. There was no reason to bring it up.

"Link?" Krystal turned so she faced him. He faced her, sitting up.

"Yeah?" he looked intently at her.

"Have you ever kissed a girl?" she asked. Link almost fell back.

"Uh, kissed…a girl!" his voice cracked. He blushed. "I don't think so." He suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Why?"

"I've heard its lots of fun. I just wondered what it was like, that's all." She sighed. "Do…do you think you could show me?" she asked timidly.

"Well…" Link stood up and backed away a little. "I don't think its right." Krystal frowned.

"Why?" she looked like she was going to cry.

"Well, I already…I…I just don't want to…" he looked off into the distance. "Is…that okay?" he asked.

"I guess so." Krystal decided she would wait. "So…what do you wanna do?" she sighed.

"Krystal? Is it okay if I go off to myself for a while? I really need to think…" she didn't reply. Link took it as a yes, and shuffled off towards Lake Hylia. He sat at the water's edge. So many questions…and why didn't he know the answers? Lately…he hadn't told anyone…but he had felt things he couldn't describe…and about his Mom…and he was starting to see things. Things that didn't make sense. He drifted into sleep…

He heard a voice…"Link! Look! Listen!" he opened his eyes and saw himself in what appeared to be a large tree…the scene faded out almost as suddenly as it came. Next, he heard a nagging sort of voice.

"How dare you leave me out here all alone! If you're a man, act like one! Take responsibility!" A wheezing sound echoed around the squishy sort of hallway…another voice…this time it came through loud and clear.

"I…I could not comprehend the power of the gods, and…Link…give the ocarina to me." He opened his eyes. He saw one figure before it faded out…Mom.

He awoke with a start. Mom. Something was wrong…he could tell. He looked in the direction of the castle. A dark cloud, like a rainstorm hovered over it. He got up and sprinted off. He wouldn't let anything hurt Mom…ever. He only hoped it wasn't too late.

From another section of the field, Krystal also saw the cloud. She was worried about Link…she would make sure he was alright. He was her only friend.

_I know…for one thing, it took way to long to update. I'm trying, but school is hunting me down…I'll keep going though…for all of you…for another thing; I felt this chapter was a little rushed. I didn't like it a lot…but the next is going to be MUCH better…I promise._

_FrodoBaggins87: _Yeah, that's a good guess…hee hee!

_SomeSayTheWorldWillEnd: _No…they got close, but that would make it bleh…it is a Zelda Link fic, don't worry…look at the next chapter…;)

_KrazieShadowNinja:_ Yeah, school is even more evil! Thanks! Glad you like all three!

_Sapphirethewindwolf: _Yeah, I was hoping someone would like that! I mean, come on, what would Link do with a teddy bear?…don't answer that.

_BakOtaku: _Thanks again for the dance! I'm glad you liked the building tension! It only gets better from here!...;)

_Opia-Fire: _Hope you liked this chapter, then! I'm glad you like Krystal! She's so cute, isn't she?

_Theherooftime2005_: Sorry I couldn't email you, I wouldn't be allowed to…anywho, as you can see, no she does not know about his problem…as for the other question…you'll just have to read and find out

_Meowzi: _Much sooner than you think, Meowzi…much sooner than you think…;) (By the way, I disagree with you…time to get out the old fox traps)...

_TheMasterofSkittles: _Wow, thanks. I'll keep working on it, don't worry. I hope you enjoy my further chapters! (Gift basket for you!)

_Sweswe: _hmm, interesting name. No, Link does not fall in love with Krystal. Just a little conflict…and by the way, one reader happens to mean a lot to me…not enough to change my story…but we don't have to worry since it's not going in that direction anyway…(gift basket for you)

_GoldenSunGeek: _Yeah, it was fun using movie quotes. I don't think I'll do it again, though…;)

_Queenie64: _Wow, I am deeply honored. (bows) I will go all the way with the story, don't worry… (gives gift basket while bowing)

_Zekoi: _Yay Link! (Blows air horn) Go Link! (Screams while holding sign)


	10. Too Many Years

_Hi everyone! So glad you all liked the last chapter, even though it was rushed so badly…hope you all like this chapter even better! I'm putting a lot of work into this one…it's getting really close to the climax! Sadly, I'm only planning a few more chapters until the end…but don't worry, I'm starting new stories one after another!_

Chapter 10

(Too Many Years)

Link sprinted until he reached the castle; he took a few moments to catch his breath, staring at the cloud as he walked inside the main room of the castle. It was a strange dark cloud, it didn't look like rain, but it caused Link to feel a deep sense of dread, like something was wrong…he shut the door. He turned around, and his eyes grew wide. Mom had company… a fish-like woman stepped lightly over to him, bending down to his level.

"Don't be afraid, Link. We're friends." She smiled. He took a second to look around. There was a younger-looking girl with green hair, a fish type woman (she had just spoken to him), a huge lumpy-looking rock thing, a young woman with tan skin and dark red hair, a younger red-haired girl (she smelled like hay), Impa, and his Mom. Somehow they all seemed terribly familiar to him. He ran right up to his Mom, disregarding the sudden company.

"Mom, something's wrong! A huge cloud is outside, and it's not a rain cloud! What's going on?" he asked. Zelda looked deadly serious.

"Link, I want you to listen to me. Sit down between Malon and Saria and we'll talk about it." She motioned to the empty seat. Link looked confused, but he sat down between them as he was told. Zelda leaned across the table; staring straight at him. "Link…I need you to tell me something. Something important. There is a very evil man coming this way…have you seen anyone like that lately?" She could only hope he hadn't. Link immediately knew what she was talking about.

"The scary man…" he mumbled. "Yeah, I saw someone like that…he tried to kill me." Link was surprisingly calm. "He said he was my father." A series of gasps echoed from around the table. "He told me he could make me powerful if I let him…" Zelda pushed back her chair and ran over to Link, hugging him close to her, tears streaking her cheeks.

"He will never hurt you! I won't let him! If he dares to come even close, I'll send him to a place where he will never escape!" Link started to wiggle out of his Mother's grip, and then stopped. He found he actually enjoyed his Mom's touch. Malon spoke up just as Link began to burrow deeper into Zelda's arms.

"Zelda, we won't let Ganon come near him, we will find him first." Impa interrupted.

"I don't understand how or why it has happened, but Ganondorf has come back…and we need to be more wary than ever."

"But…Impa! What about his memories?" Zelda gestured a little towards Link.

"Don't dwell on things of less importance, Zelda. It doesn't matter now…just train him and bring him back before the council tomorrow." Zelda nodded, and rushed Link out of the room. He was perplexed.

"What was all that about?" he asked. Zelda smiled.

"Don't worry, just do what I say and everything will be fine." She led him to a large closet, placed her palm on the door, and it slowly swung open. She began to rummage through the pile of interesting gadgets and gizmos as she muttered to herself. "Link, you really need to clean your room once in a while." She finally found what she was looking for. "Ah-hah!" she squealed in triumph. "Link, meet the hover boots." She blew the dust off of them and then dropped them in front of him.

"What are these for?" Link asked, noticing the gold edges on them.

"Put them on, and you'll find out." She teased. He pulled them on, and stood up looking at himself.

"I look ridiculous." He stated.

"They are a little big, but they'll have to do." She walked to the other end of the hallway, and held her arms out as if she were gesturing to a child just learning how to walk. "Come to me." She held her arms out.

Link thought this was weird, but he decided to do it anyway. As soon as he put one foot out, however, it began sliding everywhere. He didn't know what was going on. "Ahhhh!" he screamed. He knocked Zelda over like a bowling pin.

"Well, that could have been worse…" she pulled herself up and walked to the other side. "Try again, learn the balance." She encouraged. After what seemed like an eternity, Link could move without sliding everywhere. "Looks like you've got it…any questions?" she stated.

"Yeah…how do I stop!" Link ran smack into a wall. Zelda rushed over, but it seemed like he was fine. She went back into the closet, pulling out another pair of boots.

"Link, meet the iron boots." She dropped them in front of him. A loud thud could be heard as the somewhat twenty pounds hit the floor.

"You've got to be kidding." Link looked at them. "I'm supposed to walk in those?" Zelda nodded.

"Yes, and you'd better hurry. We've still got twice as much to learn." The rest of the night was spent doing target practice, tunic briefings, bombing, and hookshot practice. Zelda sang Link to sleep. In the morning, he was once again brought before the council. But before them there was a new Link. Impa got Zelda's attention. She went to the closet, pulling out something she held behind her back.

"There is one more thing you need to learn Link." Zelda whispered as she approached him. She buckled a shield around his back. "Always use it for good." She slowly backed off. Link reached behind his back. He felt something and pulled. A bright flash filled the room. There was a sword in his hands. "Link." Whispered Zelda, "Meet the Master Sword." He twirled it around his head a few times, practicing. Then he sheathed it, looking up at his Mom.

"Mom…there's something I need to know." He looked down. "Are you really my Mother?" Zelda gasped.

"Why would you ask something like that, Link?" her heart had stopped beating for a second.

"If…if you're not…I just need to know…I've felt things about you lately I shouldn't feel…if you're my Mother." Zelda swallowed the large lump forming in her throat. It was time to tell him the truth.

"Link…the truth is…" she was interrupted by a mocking laugh and a blinding flash. When Link looked up, his Mother was trapped in a crystal. He pounded on the surface of the crystal, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Mom! Mom!" the crystal began to lift into the air. Impa held Link back. "I'll come for you! I'll save you! I promise!" the crystal disappeared. The loud laughing once again echoed through the room.

"Do you want your Mommy back, Link? Then come to where she is…if you can remember!" it faded out. Link tore himself from Impa's grasp and fell to his knees, softly sobbing. Everyone was silent. Not a soul had ever seen Link cry, not even Saria. He lifted himself up, shaking.

"I'm going to find her. I won't let him get away with this. Mom or not, I'll never let him hurt her." He began heading for the door. "I love her…" he whispered.

"Hold on there, hero." Impa pulled herself up from her chair. "We can help." Link smiled for a moment, and then looked into the distance.

"I will find you Mom…Zelda." Little did Link know that he was about to endure his most dangerous battle yet…

_So…what did you think? What did I tell you? Was this cool or what? I bet you can't wait for the next chapter! It's my birthday today, by the way! May 18…yeah…anywho, I'll try to update soon!_

_BakOtaku: _You make me so happy! Even in the midst of all my schoolwork…lol, you like it anyway! Sigh…so happy!

_Zekoi: _Thanks! It was and still will be fun for them!

_Goldensungeek: _Yeah, I'll pull through, don't worry. I'm glad you loved the little bit between Link and Zelda there. Yes, it's very suspenseful.

_Dragoonknight1: _Yeah, we all agree with that, I'm sure.

_Queenie64: _Thanks! I did this one pretty fast, but put more work into it. Much more! Yeah, Link will remember more than ever soon… (I mean, really soon!)…;)

_KrazieShadowNinja: _Yes, he was smaller, but not enough for Krystal to notice, I guess. She's kind of a naïve girl…lol. Anywho, I don't think I'll be bringing the sorceress back, but Link will have more than a few enemies to deal with soon…

_Theherooftime2005: _Well if I told you, it wouldn't be suspenseful, would it? ;p

_Lisin: _ Oh, well thank you then! I'm glad you don't think so! So glad you like my story so far! School takes away from so many important things…sigh…on to more pleasant things! Have a gift basket! (hands pink gift basket)

_Themasterofskittles: _Oh! Was yours empty? I apologize…please; have a new and improved gift basket! It's got cookies! Anyway, I can't believe it! You figured out tiny tidbits of my plot! For now, Link's sorry butt is safe…he won't get fried…yet.lol.

_Sweswe: _Ohhhh…now I get it! So glad you like it! I couldn't change the romance all of a sudden…it's not right! Naw, you didn't sound rude at all! I sound that way a lot of the time! ;p

_Sapphirethewindwolf: _Link is definitely thinking about Zelda…lol. And if you guessed Ganondorf, then yes.;)


	11. A Light In The Darkness

_Okay, this chapter is going to be very cool. (Crosses fingers) I hope you all like it…I'll try to make it long too. Only about…what do you think? Two or three chapters left…Then comes my newest story…I have so far four more ideas for stories… (Slow down, sakume...) lol…here you are!_

Chapter 11

(A light in the darkness)

Link approached the designated place with some hesitance…he wasn't quite sure what to expect…but he was ready for whatever happened…he hoped. Impa had explained all about the plan. All they needed to do was combine their magic. They should have just enough to send him to Ganon's lair. Which, according to her, was somewhere in the dark realm…

He felt a strange sensation take hold of him as he readied himself for the warp. It felt like half of him was screaming, "Wait! I changed my mind!" and the other half was saying, "He will pay." He shook it off and nodded to the council. He was ready. Impa returned to nod and slowly lifted her arms upwards into the air. The other sages copied this maneuver, one after another.

Link felt like his body was on fire. Just as he was about to cry out in pain, another feeling took hold of him. He smiled, closing his eyes to embrace it. It was just as if he was being enveloped in a silk blanket, being caressed by his…the feeling stopped. As he opened his eyes, he felt like he was in a nightmare…

A castle stood looming over him, sending shadows so far into the distance that they seemed to resemble an eclipse. The wind sent chills down his back as he approached the castle's "moat". Impa never mentioned this…the castle was on a hunk of rock floating above a "moat" of lava. He winced, staring at the swirling mass of magma below. "Now what?" he asked himself. An answer came, much sooner than he had expected.

"Link, are you there?" he heard a voice. He instantly knew who it was. It was Impa. But how could she talk to him? He didn't understand. He felt silly, but he closed his eyes and tried to focus on her. He amazingly heard her voice. No way…he was doing telepathy?…cool!

"Yeah, I'm here." He kept his eyes closed. The voice came back, but only for a moment and very muffled.

"We will…build a bridge…save…Zelda…re…mem…ber…" it faded out. He frowned.

"Remember? What did she mean by that?" he shook his head. As soon as he stood back, he saw something strange. A tiny, flickering blue light appeared beside him. It floated there for a moment; then shone in its own spot. Before he knew what was happening, six more lights appeared, each forming a piece of a bridge. He was dumbfounded. He very carefully placed a foot on it. He eventually placed his whole weight on it. It seemed to support him…so he uneasily made his way across the whole bridge. He sighed in relief and gulped…this was it. He slowly placed one foot in front of the other, praying somehow it would all make sense…

When he entered the castle, he knew for sure he was in a nightmare…everything was so dark and dreary…for just a moment, Impa's voice flooded back to him. It wasn't quite as muffled, but it was so quiet he could hardly hear it.

"Link, listen. There are five floors. You need to make it to the top! Keep going! You'll figure it out…Look for the light…" She faded. Link took a deep breath. He was surrounded by seven doors. Each one had a light flowing from it, blocking the stairway up. He nodded to himself, he was pretty sure of what to do. He somehow…knew. If he shot the energy ball at the end of each door, he had an idea they might dissipate. He decided to go into the forest door first.

"Wait…" he thought to himself. "That's weird…how did I know this was the forest door?" he ignored the "coincidence" and approached the door, it automatically swung open. He looked around the inside for a moment, and then casually entered the room. The door slammed shut behind him, causing him to jump. The room became black as night. He instinctively pulled out a fire arrow and held it in front of him. Using a new technique Zelda had taught him, he lit the end on fire, making a sort of torch. He swung it around, looking for anything that might cause the light to return.

He began to explore, taking small steps in a random direction. He found nothing to the left, but as he approached the right, he heard a small sound, like the whimpering of a puppy. He swung the torch closer, gasping in surprise. "Krystal!" the blonde jerked upwards, equally surprised. "What are you doing here?" he was bewildered.

"I…I followed you." She stammered. He could see that she was scared to death. "I…I jumped in the warp right along with you…I guess I arrived before you. I decided to explore as I waited for you. I ran across the bridge, and…" she blushed. "It kind of collapsed." He shook his head.

"But I can't just keep you with me…I…" he sighed. "Come on." He motioned for her to follow him.

"Link, I'm not going home!" she made a serious face. "I'm here to help you and that's that!" she nodded.

"Whoever said I was taking you home? I don't know how to get home…" he looked back towards her. "So are you coming or not?" She nearly exploded with excitement.

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Link inwardly smiled.

"Look out! A spider!" he yelled, pointing to her shoulder. She screamed bloody murder.

"Where? Where?" she crouched down, shaking.

"Oh, wait, never mind. It's just a piece of lint." Link chuckled.

"That's not funny…" Krystal growled. "Link, you are not funny!" she yelled. Link grabbed her and held his hand over her mouth. She struggled, mouthing mean things to him and telling him to let her go.

"Be quiet…" Link's attitude had changed to a deadly serious tone. "Don't…move." His eyes darted around the dark room, he whispered in her ear. "We're not alone…"

_Okay, lots of things to say…yeah, I know it was short, but I'll post the next one soon. The castle will be about three or four chapters…changed my mind…Okay, on to the next business. _**Warning! After reader replies are major spoilers for the new Zelda game, "Twilight Princess"…If you don't want to spoil the plot, don't read this…how do I know you ask? Well, (chuckles) I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you…**

_GoldenSunGeek: _Yeah, I'm glad you liked that part; I thought it was funny too! Yeah, no more school for me, kind of…still have a little, but it shouldn't hurt too much! And, yeah, she has to be kidnapped sometime…geez, when is she not?

_Zekoi: _Thank you! (giggles) Yup! Trying to make them suspenseful!

_Themasterofskittles: _Eeeeppp! Don't kiss me! Lol. Yup, that's the basic gist of it. So glad you like the cookies! I've always got more!...;)

_Queenie64: _Oh yay! Cake! So happy! (eats in one bite) yay! Thanks for saying the chapter is great! Hope they are always to your liking!

_ShadowLink50: _ 0.0…yeah. I agree with the "Go Link!"…but the ummm…magical balls of yumminess?...okay!

_Tizami: _Hi there! So glad you like it! I did have a good birthday! Thanks! (gives you a huge rainbow-colored gift basket) And, naw…don't wanna play off of that plot…it makes it too easy!

_Krazieshadowninja: _Yes, I have that disc too! Only I'm also lending to someone at the moment…isn't it cool? Anyway, thanks for the compliment and everything! (sits back to listen to Link singing happy birthday to me for the fortieth time)…

_Sapphirethewindwolf: _Well, be happy! For I am making it longer than planned! Ta-da! And also, I'm going to start my other story…just for the heck of it…;)

_Somesaytheworldwillend: _Yay! Someone thinks I am dedicated! Hee hee! That's great!

_Meowzi: _Of course I will do more! I would never end it right there! Yes, it's creepy too! Oh well…here's the next chapter!

_Opia-fire: _Yay! Everyone thinks my story is interesting! Thanks for the happy birthday! I did have a great one!

_BakOtaku: _Awww…don't be jealous. I think your story is just as deserving! At least, I love it! Yup! Check out my new story…hope you like it…

_Huanir: _Oh my goodness! (swoons and blushes) Well, thank you! Thank you very much! I don't think they are THAT deserving…but thank you once again…;) Oh, and I won't really be allowed to email you…but I'm sure we'll figure something out…maybe you could leave a review about it in a category no one reads or something…lol.

**Warning! Here come the spoilers! Don't read if you don't want to spoil the plot/random information… **

**First of all, the story starts with Link as a stablehand/sheephearder…he seems to have an amazing connection with animals… (Supposedly this all happens after the windwaker) one day he is sent to the festival in Hyrule. On the way, he stumbles upon the "twilight realm" a limbo of sorts…where everything is dead. It's all in black and white in the game. Then, he discovers he's changed into a wolf. Why he changes into a wolf specifically, I don't know, but he does. He is captured and put into a cell. Eventually, he's busted out by a female creature named Midna. She rides on his back. All I know is there's a new weapon by the name of "Gale boomerang" that's pretty cool. If you have any questions, let me know in your reviews…I'll try to answer as best as I can…**


	12. A Light In The Darkness Part Two

_Hi everybody! Glad to see you! I will make this chapter longer than the last! And again_,** I might be answering questions at the end of the chapter about the new game and such. **_Anywho, on to the chapter_!

Chapter 12

(A Light in the Darkness Part 2)

Link held Krystal close to his chest, listening. He slowly let her go, she held her breath. There was a hissing which could clearly be heard in the room. It was soft and sweet, yet pretty. He cocked his head, trying to locate the source.

A black cloud appeared; floating in the corner of the room…he slowly approached it, with Krystal close behind him. He heard a voice fill the room, coming directly from the cloud. It sounded like it was singing…it was so soft and beautiful.

"Young hero…don't worry. I'm here for you…come closer…" Link didn't know why, but he found himself stepping closer. The black clouds slowly formed the shape of a woman. She was wearing a long, skinny black dress and smiling. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you…" she beckoned closer. Link found himself obeying her every command. She smiled evilly. "Link…come to me…I'll show you sleep…" she reached out her arms.

"Link! Snap out of it!" Krystal suddenly jumped in. The woman reached out; trying to grab Link. He back flipped beside Krystal out of her range. She frowned, staring at the two, but mostly at Krystal.

"I must destroy you Link. Don't worry; I'll make it go fast…come with me." Link felt compelled to follow her. It was something about her…he had to find out what it was…something about her clothes…no. He closed his eyes; trying to find the pinpoint of her hypnotic powers…she was slowly getting closer. His eyes snapped open. Of course…her necklace! It glowed with a purple light. He slid in, using the wet swampy floors like a ramp. She screeched angrily, lurching towards him. She grabbed him; and starting singing in his ears.

He felt strength slowly ebbing from his body. He was in trouble now…he needed to break free! He struggled as she laughed coarsely. "If it didn't work to defeat me last time, what makes you think it will work this time?" Link pulled himself upright. He spoke in short, quick gasps.

"What do you mean?" he choked out. "I don't understand…" she giggled, and leaned in close. "Think back…don't you recognize me?" Everything became a blur beside him. He was having so much difficulty breathing, he couldn't talk. He started to sink into the darkness; he could feel his heartbeat slowing.

Suddenly, he heard a shriek of pain from the sorceress…she dropped him and backed away. Krystal snatched up his limp body and rushed over to the side of the room. The sorceress screeched in pain as she pulled out the light arrow and grinned. "You can't possibly be serious…" she laughed. Krystal covered Link with her body.

"Come and get him!" she screamed. The sorceress frowned. She disappeared into shadow. Krystal smiled, thinking she was gone. The smile quickly disappeared as she saw the blur of the sorceress charging for the final attack. "Die, you vision of evil!" she plunged a light arrow into the necklace. The sorceress gave a few quick gasps, and then staggered back. Link rushed in, stabbing her with the Master Sword. She started to evaporate.

"Master will not be pleased…" she gasped out, nearly gone. She gave Krystal one last piercing stare, and mumbled out her last words. "With either of us…" She disappeared. Link stood up, and wiped some invisible sweat off of his brow.

"Well, that was a good start to our day here at Ganon's castle, huh?" he smiled. Krystal was still staring at the spot where the sorceress had dissipated. Link bent down to her level. "Are you okay?"…he watched her stand up. "By the way, thanks. I would have been in trouble if you weren't here when you were…" she turned around.

"No problem!" she smiled. The room became lighted. They looked at each other in glee. "Yeah!" When they exited the room, the dark barrier had lost some of its power.

"One down…" Link looked at the other six doors. "How about the fire door next?" Krystal looked at him strangely.

"How do you know which is which?" he shrugged.

"Don't know really…I just do." She laughed. They both headed for the fire door, opening it. It slammed shut behind them. This door actually turned out to be quite easy. Link just had to navigate a maze in a certain time. He did it first try and the barrier was again weakened.

It was basically the same with all the barriers…going in with one easy task after another. If it required a switch pushing, Krystal would sit on it while Link grabbed the treasure…If it required defeating enemies, Krystal would shout out how to defeat them and shoot an arrow or two. She was actually a very good shot.

Meanwhile, in the top room, Ganondorf chuckled as he watched Link and Krystal. Zelda pounded on the crystal which held her prisoner. It did no good. It was sealed shut. Except for a few tiny air holes at the top. She smiled to herself. She could see Link with Ganondorf's crystal ball. He was progressing amazingly. He was already heading up to the next floor. "Looks like your plan is going down the drain again, Ganondorf…" He turned towards her.

"You may think that now, princess. But not for long…he won't last through the next doors…" he laughed. Zelda gasped, sending a quick prayer Link's way.

Link ran up the stairs; adrenalin pumping through his veins. Krystal lagged behind. "I…can't keep up with you Link! Slow…down!" she yelled. He sighed, and waited. The next floor, floor two, was confusing. It had numbers…on each door. Above each door, the word "floor" appeared. There were five of them altogether. Link smiled.

"Wow, this is going to be easier than I thought…" he was relived. There had been no fighting since the sorceress. "I guess we've got to beat these five "floors"… (He thought back to what Impa had said)…

Krystal smiled and nodded her agreement. "Can I have that one?" she pointed to a random door. He turned to her in confusion. "I just think it might go faster if we split up…" she shrugged. He thought for a minute, and then figured it made sense. She waved, and went into floor one… Link took a deep breath, and chose door number two.

He looked around, this was weird. He seemed to be on a platform with four more in the middle of water…strange. He jumped to one of the platforms. The water was really weird looking. He slowly dipped one of his hands into the water. It felt like some kind of jelly, slimy and sticky. He yanked his hand out; he felt the water move! He jumped onto the outside platform, watching the water form a sort of tentacle. It gurgled and groaned. Suddenly, it lunged for him. He jumped out of the way. Another tentacle appeared in front of him, cutting off his exit.

He watched as it searched for him. It grabbed him and lifted him up in the air. He started panicking. He couldn't move. It made a gurgling sound and swung him back and forth in the air while choking him. He gasped a few times, trying to catch his breath. It threw him against the spiked wall; it was getting bored with its new plaything. Link began to wildly dodge the watery arms that were searching him out.

He felt like he was stuck when he noticed something. A pink blob seemed to float in the middle of the water's arms. So he naturally fired his hookshot to get a closer look at it. The blob squirmed insanely as it was removed from the water. Link slashed it, just to see what would happen. It squealed unmercifully. He smiled…now it was his turn to play… He repeatedly hookshot and slashed it; leaving it no chances to attack him. Finally, it lifted up towards the ceiling and evaporated…he dusted off his clothes and headed back through the door.

Krystal was waiting for him as he came out. He nearly exploded with surprise. "How did you do that!" she shrugged her shoulders, copying him.

"It was easy…some kind of spider thing. Just had to hit it in the eye with an arrow or two and it died…" she smiled. "And how was your battle?" Link sighed.

"Not as easy as yours…next door! I pick three!" he yelled. Krystal was already inside the number four. He smiled and walked inside. "Please be nothing with water…" he cautiously approached the center of the room. Nope…this was the complete opposite of water, heat! And unbearable, too. He walked towards the middle of the room. There was a sort of crater in the middle. He ran over to it, watching the platform to the exit crumble. "Just great…" he muttered…

He felt a rumble below him and it began to shake the room. He gulped as he saw he was surrounded on every side with lava and there was no way off of the platform…His eyes grew huge when he saw something explode out of one of the holes in the crater…it was a huge dragon…He knew what he had to do…it poked its head out of one of the craters…"Ahhh…" Link smiled. "Just like Whack-a-mole…" he ran over. He pulled out the megaton hammer…it thudded to the ground. "Uh-oh." Link looked up unhappily. "I'm too weak to handle it!"

Zelda watched in panic. "Oh please Din…Please Nayru…Please Farore…help him…" she prayed with all her heart. Ganondorf laughed as he watched Link run from the constant fire breathing of Volvagia…then he gasped.

"No…" he sneered. "It's impossible!" Link was surrounded by a light…

Link opened his eyes…he was older again…he smiled. Somehow he knew he was stronger. (He's fourteen now) Link grabbed the megaton hammer and slammed it down on the dragon's head as hard as he could. Volvagia gave an agonized screech…It got up to attack, then stopped. It looked up at the ceiling. It squealed a few times, and then burrowed back in the ground. Link raised an eyebrow. The dragon had disappeared. He looked strangely at the crater where it had fled. He turned around and did a double take.

The bridge was back…only it was completely black…Link crossed it, and met up with Krystal, who had battled some kind of drum thing…there was one more door. Link took it and told Krystal to wait for him. He was secretly very surprised at her…she didn't need anyone to take care of her, that's for sure…he tried to open it, but it was stuck. That was when he heard a voice.

"You don't need to go in the door, Link…" He started glancing around, trying to find the voice.

"Why not?" he asked, unsure who it was. The voice sounded oddly familiar…

"Because I'm already here…" Link hid Krystal behind him and drew his sword.

_Okay, that's enough. I'll write a new chapter very soon! I couldn't get logged in for the longest time…strange. Anyway, here's your super long chapter…so yeah. Oh, and yes, I do have a new story up for anyone who didn't know. Dark Waters…should be cool! Check it out if you haven't yet! K, time for reader replies!_

_BakOtaku: _Yeah, take your time. So yeah…it was a surprising twist. Even I thought so…yes…revolution…

_Zekoi_: Yeah, that was a major twist. I think you'll be very surprised…

_The hero of time 2005: _Thankies! Love the gift! Anywho, thanks! And ummm…yeah. Thanks!

_Superdave: _Well, thank you! And no, I don't mind. You still get a gift basket…I put a penguin in it!

_Sapphirethewindwolf_: You're entitled to your own opinion I guess…no problem. You can like her or not like her…it gets better…

_Krazieshadowninja_: Yeah, that's the basic gist of it. In my last reviews it tells just about all you asked. Anywho, I love long reviews! And I'll read the story when I get the chance…

_Zeldaisthebest: _Ummm…thanks! So glad you love it! (gives gift basket)

_Themasterofskittles: _Guess what? I get a dvd of the preview next week! Then I'll have both previews on DVD! And ohhhh…yeah. Anyway, you meant a violent transfer right? Cause that's what happened…lol.

_Queenie64: _Yup! Keeping you in suspense! Yay! Anyway, I think I'm done sharing information for now…and as I said before, my other story is up in case you want to take a peek…

_Opia-fire: _Yes, he does. And it seems like she can help him too, by the looks of this chapter…

_Tizami: _Yes, it is out now. And yes, I will have fun don't worry! I'll keep them coming!

_FrodoBaggins87: _Have I been where? Sorry, didn't catch the place…yeah. It looks awesome! P.S. I know how to defeat the first boss too!

_Happyham: _Yeah, that was the funny/cheesy part of many in my fic. Glad you liked it! (hands you gift basket)

_Lisinity: _Yeah, I've seen them too! Anyway, it looks awesome! And don't worry, I'll keep updating now that school's out!

_GoldenSunGeek: _Yuppers! Here you go! (shrugs) You said quick, so…here you go…yeah. He's got a new partner alright!

_Okay, there you go! Everybody, in case you didn't know or did, I do have a new story going now…Dark Waters. Darker than my other stories, and is also very good though. Or so my reviewers tell me…anyway, I'm adding chapter two soon as well, so get me going…tell me you want more! Until then, see you later! _**OH! Hold on! Don't leave yet! BIG NEWS! (Uses a megaphone)…According to my friends sources…there could be a Zelda movie coming out! That's right, a Zelda movie…with real actors…tell me what you think…And don't forget to pick up your complimentary penguin on your way out!**


	13. A Dark Rememberance

_Hello, hello, hello! Ready for another fun-filled chapter? This one is very short…but I'll update fast, so it works. Here you go!_

Chapter 13

(A Dark Remembrance)

Link looked around, wary of his surroundings…"Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm everywhere…" the voice echoed.

"Enough games!" Link yelled. "Show yourself!" that's when he noticed a sort of smoky substance begin to fill the room. It began to compile into one giant mass, then formed an arm and a leg, making a body. Link gasped. "What are you?"…the figure straightened itself.

"I'm you. Have you forgotten everything?" the figure revealed itself. Link gasped, almost falling backwards. It was him…only much older and dark. The darker side laughed. "Listen, I'm not really here to fight you…I don't want to, but I have strict orders…and I am forced to follow those orders." Dark Link pulled out his copy of the Master Sword, waiting for Link to do the same.

"I don't understand…what has happened to me?" he shook his head. Dark Link lunged for him, but Link back flipped away. "Why do I remember things…I know you." He looked his reflection in the eyes.

"I'm not here to reveal things to you. Just to weaken you." The reflection seemed to be laughing. Link was angered at this. What did this shadow know that he didn't? He started weaving back and forth, waiting for the chance to strike. It seemed to take forever, but eventually Link found an opening and took the chance to strike. The dark reflection staggered over for a moment in pain.

Krystal watched the battle, thinking to herself. She was unhappy about her lack to help. What was she going to do?

Link watched the figure fall to the ground. He walked over to it, he was happy to have defeated it. "Surprise!" the reflection grabbed him by the leg and lifted him up. Link could not strike back; it was like he was being held by an invisible force. The dark figure laughed. "Too easy…" Link felt his blood boil. How dare this thing insult him? In a sudden rush of adrenalin, he dropped the orange crystal that he had been briefed on earlier…the room was engulfed in fire. Link heard the shrieks of agony by the dark reflection as it dropped him, and tried in vain to extinguish the fire.

The dark reflection frowned. It started to charge him. It suddenly stopped; it seemed to be listening to something. "Fine…" it growled. "I'll wait." He looked up. "I forgot…you have an appointment to be killed at another time…" It sank into the shadow. "But just in case…" it reappeared behind Link, giving him a quick stab in his arm. He gave a quick yell in pain. The dark reflection smiled and whispered. "I'll see you later, good luck…I want you to survive for our next meeting. Where you will die…" it disappeared.

Link wrinkled his nose. "Well, this sucks." He turned around, and sprinted over to Krystal, who was putting out a small fire on her dress. He wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "Sorry." He apologized. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah…" she seemed like she was almost crying. Link leaned down.

"You're not hurt, are you?" she shook her head violently. "No…I'm alright." He smiled, and then tilted his head.

"Do you hear something?" he listened. Krystal also titled her head.

"It sounds like an organ…" she exclaimed. "We must be close!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah…" Link was overjoyed. "Let's go!" he ran up the stairway, thinking to himself. "That's strange…why would Krystal catch on fire? It's not supposed to burn the pure hearted…" Krystal dragged behind…she stood with Link before the door to Ganon's lair.

If only…it was too late now…Link grabbed Kyrstal's hand, and opened the door which led to the final battle…

_Pshaw! Way too short! Oh well…the next will be very long…so…yeah. Glad you are all so excited about the next story! I'll postpone it till after this one…reader replies!_

_Tizami: _Thanks! Glad you like it! And don't worry; I'll add more when I'm done with this one! You think so? I don't know…just a rumor. Sounds cool though!

_Zekoi: _Thanks! Yup, Link's gotta fight, doesn't he? It's him…lol. So yeah, now you don't have to wait for the next chapter!

_Huanir: _Sure, I think it's good! I like it…but I haven't seen the new chapter yet…oh nevermind. Just read it. Very cool. I'll be sure to review and tell you so soon. I really liked the expression.

_Lisinity: _Nooo! Penguins! Oh well. Anywho, what do I go to? There's a big blank…lol.

_Arcade: _No, I don't. That's why it's a rumor. Yup, it's a rumor. But a cool one at that. Why can't I make it a Zelda/Link?...calm down! (gives water)…relax…lol. (gives gift basket with tons(gallons) of water)

_Greki: _Wow, thanks! Lol.

_RayxJade: _I hope so. Yup, I'm gonna see it first…lol. If it exists…(gives you a turkey in your gift basket)

_GoldenSunGeek: _Thanks! (falls on my floor) Relax, I'll give you all the info I have as it comes…nothing yet. It's just a rumor so far…I'll find out more and let you know in my stories…not allowed to email…(shrugs)

_Queenie64: _Take your time, it's okay! And umm…yeah. Your welcome for the penguin. And also, I hope the movie's better too!

_Opia-fire: _Thanks! Hope you like the results! (huggles my penguin) so anyway, see you soon! Thanks for the info!

_FrodoBaggins87: _Oh no, not at all! I don't mind the occasional complaint. It helps me improve! You've got a point, but don't worry. Big twist coming up! And yes, the story will be very interesting…even if Link dies…lol. J/K.

_Sapphirethewindwolf: _Lol, shhh….you'll ruin it…lol. You might have a point, then again, you might not…we'll just have to wait and see…

_Yeah, hope you all like it, even though its super short. Oh well, have the next one up soon, I will. Lol. So anyway, yeah. I think there will be a few more chapters and that's it…(lots of smiles and hugs)…oh yeah. My friend sent my Zelda collectors edition disc (four games on one disc) to Germany by accident…she has to mail it to me when she gets there… (Foreign exchange student)… (Cries)…sympathy…anyone?_


	14. Love Springs Eternal

_Okay…here comes the super long chapter! Hope you all like it! (_**This is NOT the final climax…there will be chapters after this)…**_well, here you go!_

Chapter 14

(Love springs eternal)

Link walked stiff-legged into the surprising highly illuminated room. His heart was pounding so loud that he was afraid the whole world would hear it. His eyes scanned the room quickly; he noticed a few things right away.

The room had four corners…in both of the side corners closest to him were the bosses that had left the battle. Dark Link was in one corner, the one closest to him, along with Volvagia…his gaze shifted to the center of the room.

"Heh…heh…heh." A very familiar snickering reached his ears. The figure turned around, swirling his cape in a dominant fashion. Link stepped forward boldly.

"I knew it was you, Ganondorf…I could smell you once I entered your door…" Link spat out.

"Pitiful…I expected more from my adversary I hope you will think twice in your battle with me…I think you would be most wise to leave while you can…" Ganondorf's lips curled upwards in a cruel smile.

It was at that moment that Link noticed Zelda hanging in the crystal above the organ. He almost ran forward to meet her, but stood his ground. "Think whatever you want, Ganon…I will rescue my Mom…no matter what it takes…" his eyes blazed with anger and vengeance.

Link relinquished his fighting stance; Ganondorf was actually laughing at him! "What's so funny?" Link demanded spitefully. Ganondorf stopped laughing for a moment, smiling in his direction.

"You pitiful, insignificant, boy…you have been playing into my hands this whole time…" Link growled in his throat.

"What do you mean?" he yelled, he wasn't going to be taken as a stupid little kid…he was dead serious.

Ganondorf simply extended his hand towards Link's left side, where Krystal was standing... "Well done, my apprentice…" he stated blandly. Link's eyes grew huge…he whipped around towards her…

"Krystal…no…" his gaze shifted towards Ganondorf and back to her. "No…you wouldn't…" Now he knew why her dress had caught fire…she wasn't pure hearted…he looked at her, piercing into her heart with his steel-blue irises…

She returned his gaze, her eyes watering. She fell to the floor. "I'm sorry Link…I…I had no choice." Link shook his head slowly…Ganondorf began to laugh, seeing the turmoil and confusion in Link's heart…

"Did you really think she was helping you for nothing? You are a fool…" he shook his head. Krystal jerked her head up.

"When do I get my part of the deal?" she asked. Ganondorf snickered.

"What deal might that be?" he replied, taunting her.

"I did not agree to letting you hurt him…when will you be bringing my father back to life?" she demanded, tears now streaming down her cheeks…

Ganondorf sneered. "Did you really think I would do that? Naïve girl…" she gasped, her eyes glaring daggers. Two staflos appeared, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"You lied! You incarnation of evil!" she barely had a few seconds before the staflos grabbed her again…they began to drag her into shadow…"Link!" she gasped out, before she had disappeared completely…"Kill him!" she screamed, throwing him something. She dissipated shortly after that.

Link nodded, shocked for a moment at Krystal's tone. He grabbed the small item she had thrown him. It was the teddy bear he had given her that fateful day…now he was angry…he lifted his head up. Ganondorf's eyebrows rose. He meant business…"Let the final battle commence!" he immediately began to fight Link…

He plunged his fist into the ground, separating Link from him completely…Link noticed the triforce glowing…he frowned. He pumped his legs as he dodged Ganondorf's punches, watching for a weakness of some kind. Zelda yelled to Link, giving him the clue he needed to defeat Ganondorf.

"Link, watch his beams! Send them back to him!" she could only hope it would help him…Ganondorf whirled around, and sent a ball of black magic towards her…she gasped, slumping to a heap inside the crystal. Ganondorf chuckled, turning back to face Link, only to meet face to face with a light arrow. He was knocked backwards…Link jumped over to the main platform, slashing him with his sword repeatedly.

Ganondorf, angered by Link's first upper-hand, punched him with a fist full of magic, sending him flying into the nearest wall. Zelda pulled herself up as she heard the agonizing sound of crunching bones…

Link immediately knew something was broken, if not more than one thing…he struggled for a moment, striving to get up. Ganondorf sent another magic ball towards him. In a split-second decision, Link pulled out the green crystal, using it to warp to another corner of the room.

Dark Link and Volvagia watched the battle from a corner, almost melting into the wall…Dark Link watched his other side get pelted with one hit after another…he heard the groans and shudders of his light side…his eyes vaulted from Ganondorf to Link, and back to Ganondorf…

Link knew this wasn't going to be easy, but he didn't think it would be this hard…he winced as he forced his muscles to work…he held his side in agony…he whirled around just in time to parry a magic blast. Ganondorf vaulted it back several times, but it the end, Link won. He jumped over the platform…slashing into the man for all he was worth.

Ganondorf did a back flip over to the wall, sending a rush of dark matter towards Link. The tables had turned once again…he wiped the blood off of his mouth, putting pressure on the wounds caused by the Master Sword…he growled ill-temperedly…both of them paused for an awkward moment, neither of them strong enough to make a move…

Zelda could hardly watch, if only there was something she could do…then she noticed the pair of evil beings leaning against the wall…she saw something she had never seen before….the look on Dark Link's face...it was unbelievably amazing she could notice anything there at all…but she could. And Volvagia…even the dragon's eyes seemed to water…but why? She whispered in the quietest tone she could, hoping not to attract attention to herself.

"Hey…you two." Volvagia instantly turned to face the princess. Dark Link raised his head just an inch or so to show her that he heard her. "Do you want to kill Link?" she knew she sounded incredibly stupid, but she had no choice…Volvagia almost gave a squeal to reply, but Dark Link stopped the dragon by administering a quick jab with his elbow.

"What's it to you?" he asked, regarding the princess carefully. No wonder Link liked her. She was quite pretty. Zelda sighed to herself.

"If you want to kill him, you'll need to stop Ganondorf from killing him…I know it doesn't make much sense, but it's your only solution…" she tried to sound careless.

"On the contrary princess…it makes a great amount of sense…" Dark Link muttered to himself. He watched the battle between the king of evil and his other side…what was this strange feeling he had in his gut? It was a mixture of fear, anger, and hope…what would happen to him once Link was destroyed? He was a shadow…what would he do...his mind wandered as he stared at his reflection…

Zelda felt hope…only hope. If she could convince Dark Link to help Link, maybe he would have a chance…but in his present state…it would only be a matter of time before he was defeated…she couldn't help doubting him. Link just wasn't strong enough…that was the reason that they had to wait seven years before he was ready…he just wasn't acquainted with the triforce of courage enough…and there was nothing she could do…she watched as Ganondorf charged for Link, they both sprinted straight towards each other…

They both met each other's blasts, Ganondorf pushing Link with his magic, and Link countering with the Master Sword. Ganon laughed…he knew he was winning. Link knew this too…he was in trouble…he pushed with all of his strength…but it just wasn't enough. He was knocked backwards. The Master Sword flew out of his hands, landing beside him. He thrust his hand out, trying to grab it, but his arm was stepped on by Ganondorf.

"Link…at long last…you have lost." Ganondorf applied pressure to Link's arm, hearing a satisfying crunching noise. Link screamed out in pain. He couldn't move his arm. So this was what it was like to lose…so this was what it was like to die…he turned towards Zelda, his eyes dimming.

"I'm sorry Mom…" he mouthed the words, unable to speak. "I tried." He closed his eyes. Zelda pushed herself against the crystal.

"Link! No!" she screamed. Suddenly, the whole room dimmed. It became dark as night. Zelda shot her head every direction, trying to figure out where the darkness was coming from. Ganondorf seemed confused as well, he couldn't figure out what was going on. A voice filled the room…

"You will not destroy him…" Ganondorf's eyes opened wide. Dark Link appeared in front of Link's younger body. Ganondorf felt anger begin to build up inside of him.

"What do you mean by protecting him? I created you! You will do as I say!" He shot a ball of black magic towards Dark Link. Link's dark counterpart chuckled and grabbed the ball, sucking up the energy.

"Wrong." He pointed towards Volvagia. "You own him…and all those other useless things you call creations." He turned towards Link. "I may hate my lighter side, but if you destroy him, I'll be destroyed too…and I can't allow that." Ganondorf gave way to a wry smile.

"And what do you plan to do about it? You can't protect him…you are a shadow…not a living being." Dark Link laughed, and then dissipated. Everything again became black as night.

Zelda gasped…Link was standing up! And he was….seventeen again! As the room became lighter, she noticed something was different…he was different.

"Wrong again." Omni Link (Link and Dark Link combined) stood up. Ganondorf had no idea what had happened, although Zelda figured it out instantly. Her plan had worked! She surveyed Link for a moment…his tunic was a mixture of black and green…and his face showed the biggest changes…it was dark and light at the same time…he was smiling an evil smile.

"Die." He plainly stated. Ganondorf snorted in a mocking tone.

"You have no weapon." Omni Link made a motion with his hand, and the Master Sword flew back into his hand. It was also a mixture of black and white…he plunged it into the King of Evil as hard as he could. At the same time, he made a quick motion to Volvagia.

The dragon roared a reply, grabbing Zelda's crystal chamber in his teeth. He liked Dark Link better than Ganondorf anyway…he bit down hard into the crystal, being careful not to damage the filling inside. Zelda fell out of the crystal as it shattered, pulling herself up. She immediately used her power to freeze Ganondorf in place, so Omni Link could deliver the final blow. He bent down to Ganondorf's level. The evil king was struggling for all he was worth. "Game over…I win." He plunged the sword into Ganondorf.

Zelda called the other seven sages, telling them now was the time…they all used their powers to seal Ganondorf away for what they were hoping would be a long time…Omni Link fell to the ground, completely exhausted.

Zelda rushed over, holding his head over hers. Omni Link looked up into her eyes…she heard Dark Link speak to her. "We're both pretty tired…being in the same body drains us both…he loves you." She stroked his hair out of his face. "Don't tell him…about anything. It's better if he doesn't know…" she heard him groan. "I'd better get out of here, before I die…" she saw just a hint of a smile appear on his face. "Tell him I'll kill him later…" she saw Omni Link jerk for a second, and then Dark Link appeared on the other side of the room.

He nodded, and then he was gone. Volvagia had disappeared too…she held Link close. It would be a long time before she would forget this…she closed her eyes, using her powers to teleport back to the light realm…where Link could begin his long recovery…

Krystal smiled triumphantly in the dungeon…she couldn't be held. She ran outside, using the spell she taught herself to return to the light realm. She didn't know if Link was okay, but she knew one thing…she was going to find out.

_Well, those of you who guessed Krystal was evil, yeah…you were mostly right…the next chapter will be up soon. It will be interesting…anywho, wow. I think this is the greatest battle scene I have ever written. Yup…definitely…so yeah, I'll update soon!_

_Zekoi: _Yup! That's what he did! Pretty cool with Omni Link, huh? A new take on the Fierce Diety mask thing…heh. Hope you liked it!

_RayxJade: _Thanks so much! I'm so glad you like it! I'll update soon, don't worry!

_Huanir: _heh, lucky you…yeah, did you know that organ music plays in the background of the legend of Zelda ocarina of time? Yup, when you get close to Ganon's lair, you can hear it…that's why I plugged it in.

_Sapphirethewindwolf: _Now did you get my reviews?lol…cause I left some…I think…(looks confused) So yeah…you were basically right, Krystal turned out to be partly evil…

_Greki: _Thank you for your sympathy! Well garsh…(blushes) you are so kind…

_Themasterofskittles: _Lol…let me fill you in…the lady was the sorceress from chapter one…she had returned…I guess I forgot to mention that…lol…and yes, I'll consider the time bomb…P.S. you now know why Krystal helped so much…she was evil…(you think she's hot?...she is thirteen, you know that right?...o.o…)

_Somesaytheworldwillend: _I got the rumor from a friend of mine. I'll ask him where he got the info again later…thanks for the compliment!

_Goldensungeek: _I'll update soon! And I will keep you updated through this system…don't worry. I'm not allowed to email for…(looks around)…secret reasons…my email won't work…lol.

_Sageoftheminish: _Awww, thanks! (gives you gift basket of baby animals) If you don't like them, you can hawk them for cash…lol.

_ChipsDip: _Hi there! I remember you! From somewhere…oh well. Thanks for your kind comments! (gives you gift basket of desserts)

_Darklink231: _Yup, you got it. Thankies!

_Krazieshadowninja: _That's fine…wow. You really want it to continue that badly? Do you all feel this way?lol…the other stories should be just as good…lol. Anyway, I'm so glad you are ungrounded now…I have been craving the next chapter of your story (wink) so badly…and of the xmen one too…

_Whew…that's a lot of reviews…otay! See you all next update…which will most likely be the last chapter…a most likely. Let me know how you feel about this…see you soon!_


	15. Memories Long Forgotten

_Hello everybody! How are you all? Here is your last chapter…sigh. I hope you like it…see the end notes after this chapter…that will tell what I'll be working on after this…_

Chapter 15

(Memories long forgotten)

Link's eyelids fluttered for a moment, yet he could not open them…he felt like he was on a large precipice, just barely teetering along the lines of unconsciousness and waking up…He couldn't think…and he couldn't talk…all he could do was rest…

Zelda kept her gaze on Link's face…she was sure that he had woken up…perhaps she was just too tired to tell…she had been sitting by his bedside for more than two weeks now…she could barely stay awake anymore…she had fallen asleep many times, but never longer than an hour or so…

Impa was worried…about Link…but mostly Zelda. She was not resting at all and it was not healthy. She knew Zelda loved Link, but this was taking it to a new level…she slowly sipped her tea, talking in hushed tones with the other sages, as they tried in vain to find something cheery to discuss. Hours passed, and then turned into days…until one morning…

Link opened his eyes, they felt so heavy…everything was blurry…he could see he was alone, and he could tell he was hurt badly…he couldn't move…he blinked twice…

Zelda walked in, her head held low…as were her spirits…she was carrying a silver tray of breakfast for herself…she refused to leave Link's side. When she saw Link's eyes slitting open, she gasped and dropped the tray, rushing over to his side…She cared about nothing else but him…she began to stroke his hair. He tried to get up; she gently pushed him back down…

"Link…" she whispered. "Don't try to get up…two of your ribs are broken, and your arm was crushed…" Link's expression turned to fear, then to wonder…he sucked in a deep breath…

"How?" his cracked voice barely formed the words. Zelda nearly burst into tears, but contained herself.

"You had an accident." She felt her spirits lifting…at least he was awake. "How do you feel?" she gently massaged his hand. He grabbed hers, smiling.

"Great…" he laughed hoarsely…it turned into a harsh coughing. She quickly squeezed his hand.

"Don't try to talk…you just rest now…get well." She smiled. "The doctors say you may not be able to walk for weeks. You shouldn't be talking…" Link nodded, accepting the fact for now…Zelda closed the door and ran to tell all of Hyrule about his awakening.

Another week had passed…Link had not showed signs of waking up…he had again fallen into unconsciousness…he slept like he hadn't slept in years…Impa and all the other sages were glad he was alright…at least, that's what they thought.

Late that night, Zelda was lying wide awake in her bed. She had many thoughts echoing in her head…she had to know if Link remembered…she just had to know…she heard a creaking from her doorway and spun around, gasping when she saw Link standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"Link!" she yelled, and then quickly covered her mouth, remembering how late it was…she changed it to a harsh, loud whisper. "What are you doing! You shouldn't be up and walking around!" she hissed.

Link walked over to her bed and crawled on top of it. "I don't know…" his voice barely sounded hoarse at all. "I guess I'm a fast recovering person…" he smiled a sheepish smile. "I just wanted to see you, that's all."

Zelda blushed; she hoped it would clear quickly. "I am glad you're feeling better Link…and you're looking better too…I hoped you would feel better soon, but I never thought you would get well this fast…"

Link looked away for a minute. "What have I been doing, Zelda? I can see things…but I don't get it…"

Zelda watched his facial expressions…he seemed sad, and hurt…"You've been normal, Link…just normal…what do you see?" she asked, sitting up in bed.

"I don't know…things." He closed his eyes…"I see…a girl…" Zelda cocked her head. "I see a sword…" he groaned. "But, most of all…I see you." Zelda looked startled…she fidgeted a little.

"That's very strange, Link…" he nodded.

"I am going walking…out in the marketplace, alright?" he turned to her. Zelda nodded her head in agreement.

"It will be good for you…" Link sighed slowly…letting the air fill his lungs, then flow out. He slid off of her bed. She didn't even notice that it was already sunrise.

The hero of time kicked a few rocks along the marketplace…he sat down on a fountain, listening to the water splash and gurgle behind him. It was still very early, so not many people were awake and about yet.

He sighed, letting his head droop over his knees. If only he could clear up all these things in his head…he opened his eyes. He raised an eyebrow…there was a little girl standing in front of him…and she was staring uncertainly at him…she had blonde hair and blue eyes…she looked very familiar…

"Are you Link?" the little girl asked. Link wasn't surprised…lots of people asked him this…

"Yes." He stated. "Have I seen you before? You look very familiar…" She smiled and stared at him.

"I can't really say that for you…you have to decide. I just wanted to make sure you were alright…" she sat down beside him and gave his pocket a quick pat. "Keep it…maybe you'll think of me…" she winked. He looked confused. She began to skip down the street, then stopped and turned. "By the way, thanks for everything Link! I'll never forget you!"

He reached inside his pocket and pulled out whatever was in it…a teddy bear. He winced. What was he doing with a teddy bear? Yet…it seemed so familiar…like a dream of some sort…he shook his head and put it away, heading for the horizon…

Zelda hadn't seen Link for days, so she was naturally a little upset when she saw him finally show up at the castle but his mood quickly changed her opinion…he seemed really happy…yet whenever he talked to her, he seemed embarrassed. She invited him to eat lunch and he agreed. "Where have you been?" she began the conversation.

Link blushed a little. "Sorry…for the past couple of days, I've been everywhere…seeing everything…" Zelda laughed.

"I should have expected as much from you…" She didn't know why, but she suddenly exclaimed in a loud voice. "I think I'll be good with children." She quickly turned away, very ashamed. Where were her manners? Link gave a mischievous grin.

"Just out of curiosity, who would you have them with?" Zelda pursed her lips, knowing that he was teasing her.

"Well…I was thinking…you." She smiled. "Of course, we might have to wait for a few years…but the good news is I think I'll be ready when the time comes…" she watched Link get up, he was finished with his food.

"Oh…you don't have to worry about that…" he muttered, as he made his way towards the door. She titled her head, watching him. "You will be the best Mother ever…" he turned to face her. "I'm sure of it…" he winked, letting the door close behind him.

Zelda blinked. She was sure she saw him wink…or did she? It was impossible…wasn't it? She leaned back in her chair. "No way…" she thought to herself…she smiled and tilted her head thoughtfully…

_Okay, it's all over folks! It's all over! Hope you all enjoyed it immensely! Bad news: This story is most likely over…unless my brain works up a sequel…(hmmmm…Zelda as a child…) naw…anyway. Good news: I have many stories coming up…three in fact that I have planned…my next chapter is also up…Dark Waters…my newest story will also be posted soon…keep a sharp lookout! P.S. A huge hug to all my reviewers! Hope you all loved it! As to the question of whether Link remembered or not, that's for you to decide…_

_Greki: _don't worry, "garsh" is just an expression…it means I'm embarrassed…lol. No biggie…hope you like my other stories too!

_Sapphirethewindwolf: _Glad you like him! I think he's awesome! Thanks a lot! I really worked on this battle scene.

_Zekoi: _Well, you found out now! You know now…he's fine.

_Krazieshadowninja: _Thank you so much! So glad you love it! Heh…did I answer your questions about black? I hope so…

_Tizami: _Yup! There's always a slight chance! You never know…hee hee! Also, I'm happy you liked it! Especially the battle scene…

_Goldensungeek: _Yeah, wasn't it? (modest) lol…anywho, I really like that touch. Hope you like my future stories too!

_Queenie64: _That's okay, I know how it is! (huggles you) Don't worry; I've got lots of other stories on the way…

_RayxJade: _Thanks! Thanks so much! I'm so happy you like it! Here's the next!

_DarkElvenWarrior: _Thank you! I liked that idea very much myself! (gives you gift basket of fish)…sorry, I couldn't think of anything better…lol. (Watch out for the piranha! They're still alive!)

_Huanir: _Thanks! For all the compliments! (laughs) I was pretty sure you knew…but just in case…

_Birthofvenus: _Thank you! Thank you! Yeah, I think it's more about bringing her father back to life…she couldn't really be evil…(pats her on the head) She's too cute! (gives you special gift basket…I don't know what it is…you have to open to find out…lol.)

_Opia-fire: _Thanks! (laughs on the floor) You are so funny! I love your reviews! I thought he was sweet too…(cuddles omni Link)

_Hope'slight: _Yeah, I guess the summary could be a little misleading…naw. I don't deal in any of those fics…(shudders) (gives you a dessert gift basket) Thank you!

_Themasterofskittles: _That's what I thought…just wanted to make sure…lol. I'll try to explain…see this is how I've always thought of it…if Link is killed by a normal person, he and his shadow will die, as they share feelings and so on…but if Link is killed by his dark side, the dark side will live on…at least, that's how I've always viewed it…oh well…lol. (gives you more cookies) hope that holds you up for a while!

_Sageoftheminish: _Thanks! Thanks a lot! (gives you a gift basket of gold)…Whispers to other reviewers…"Don't worry, it's only plated…lol."

_Lisinity: _Heh, hope you like this chapter! (gives you a second controller) Plug me in! I'll get you with Link/Talim…heh…

_Chipsdip: _Thank you so much! I'm very happy you like it!


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